Orange Hawkweed

Orange Hawkweed

Hieracium aurantiacum

Information Sheet (PDF)

Colorado List A - Eradication required in Jefferson County

General

• Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae)
• Forms stolons and rhizomes
• Has been sold as an ornamental but no longer available in Colorado
• Introduced from Europe
• Perennial

Common names

• Devil’s Paintbrush
• King Devil

Habitat

• Found between 5,000 to 10,500 feet in pastures, rangelands, roadsides, gravel pits and moist grasslands

Plant

Vegetation

• Hairy leaves at the base of the plant; occasionally small leaves on stalk
• Mature plants are 6 to 12 plus inches tall

Roots

• Also forms stolons
• Fibrous

Flower

• Color: Orange
• Each stem can produce several hundred seeds
• Multiple flowers at end of stem
• Season: June to August
• Size: 3/4 inch across

Seedling

• Rosettes form in spring and early summer

Reproduction

• Seeds
• Stolons

Control

Biological

• None

Chemical

• View Information Sheet (PDF)

Cultural

• Fertilization to promote grass cover
• Prevention – maintain health of site
• Re-vegetation of highly disturbed sites

Mechanical

• Burning - N/A
• Grazing - Animals will not eat
• Mowing - Not recommended; plants form a dense mat below mowing height; small fragments easily form new plants 

More Information

• Idaho's Noxious Weeds

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