Hieracium venosum L.

Rattlesnake Hawkweed

Habitat: Dry open pine or oak woods and barrens, usually in grassy openings. [Dry barrens (partly forested, upland)]

Range: Southern Maine to southern Ontario, south to Delaware and upland to Georgia and Tennessee.

Aids to Identification: Rattlesnake hawkweed has 1 or a few smooth stems, growing to a height of 20-80 cm. The stems have no leaves, or sometimes they may have 1-3 small leaves. There is a rosette of basal leaves, which are 3-16 cm long, with bristles along the edges and near their base and veined with purple. The yellow flowers are numerous, with 15-40 per head.

Ecological characteristics: In Maine, this species is known to occur in pitch pine - scrub oak barrens.

Phenology: Flowers June - July.

Family: Asteraceae

Synonyms: H. venosum var. nudicaule (Michx.) Farw.

Known Distribution in Maine: This rare plant has been documented from a total of 4 town(s) in the following county(ies): Cumberland, Penobscot, York.

Reason(s) for rarity: At northern limit of range.

Conservation considerations: Heavy all-terrain vehicle use of the sandy habitats where this occurs would be detrimental to the plant populations.