Orange Hawkweed

Orange hawkweed flower.
Orange hawkweed plant.
Large patch of Orange hawkweed in field.
Orange hawkweed plant seedling.

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


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

Use all chemicals according to the manufacturer's label. No specific recommendation or endorsement is made or implied by listing methods or products.

Treatment Timeline


JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDec
Control











RemovalNot recommended - plants regrow from root fragments
Herbicide











Growth











Vegetative











Flowering











Seed