Pilosella officinarum

RHS Plant Profile

mouse-ear hawkweed

Other common names

blood of St John, fellon herb, felon herb, mouse ear, clust y lygoden

Synonyms

Hieracium pilosella var. nigrescens
Hieracium pilosella subsp. trichosoma
Hieracium pilosella
Hieracium velutinum

Herbaceous Perennial

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A mat-forming perennial to about 20cm tall, with creeping stolons and a basal rosette of leaves greyish green and hairy above with downy, white felted undersides. Solitary yellow flowerheads, borne on leafless stems, are 2-3cm across with ray florets marked with a red stripe on the underside, produced in summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1–2 years
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H5

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Asteraceae
Native to GB/Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Matforming
Genus: A genus of herbaceous perennials spreading by rhizomes or stolons, with hariy leaves in basal rosettes, and sometimes as smaller stem leaves. The stems are topped with dandelion-like flowers, in shades of mainly yellow, sometimes orange or more rarely red or white
Name Status: Correct

How to Grow

Cultivation

Naturally occurs on free-draining, short grassland

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by division

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildflower meadow
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free