Cat's-ear - Hypochaeris radicata
Low to short plant, with a basal rosette of wavy edged leaves, never cut to the midrib, covered with many stiff, unbranched hairs that are raised on pimples. Flowerheads, yellow, 20 to 30 mm.
Hawkweeds (Hieracium and Pilosella) and Hawkbits (Leontodon and Scorzoneroides)
No leaves up stems, or very few, reduced, leaves. Receptacular scales present (i.e. narrow pointed bracts amongst the yellow florets). Bracts dull green and bristly on the midrib. Hairs on leaves not forked
A side-on picture of the flowerhead and stem. This cannot be verified form a 'full-face' picture looking down onto the flowerhead; there are very many similar flowers.
Common in grassy areas and short turf, roadside verges, lawns, etc.
June to September.
Perennial.
A common plant across Britain.
Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 468 of the 617 tetrads.
David Nicholls
Croft Pasture
09 May 2014
Bracts are greyish with green hairy midrib. Fosse Meadows (taken 8.10.2007),.JPG)
Graham Calow
Fosse Meadows, Sharnford
08 October 2007
leaves are hairy with rounded lobes, unforked hairs
David Nicholls
Grange Farm, Broughton
29 April 2015
Graham Calow
Sapcote, Land behind William Spencer Avenue
21 May 2022
simple unforked hairs on leaves
David Nicholls
Croft Pasture
09 May 2014
'pimples' on leaves
Graham Calow
Burbage Common
21 July 2015
Stem usually has a few small bracts
David Nicholls
Hill Hole Quarry NR
11 June 2015
flowering stems are often branched
David Nicholls
Ratby Burroughs
04 October 2012
bell-shaped involucre
 Fosse Meadows (taken 8.10.2007),.JPG)
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Species profile
- Common names
- Common Catsear, Cat's-ear
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Asterales
- Family:
- Asteraceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 283
- First record:
- 27/05/2000 (MBNHS;Steve Woodward)
- Last record:
- 18/10/2025 (Graves, Hazel)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
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Latest records
David Nicholls
Long Close, Woodhouse Eaves
15 June 2013
Graham Calow
Burbage Common Road, Elmesthorpe
27 May 2016
Graham Calow
Near Abbott Drive, Stoney Stanton
23 June 2016
Uroleucon hypochoeridis
The aphid Uroleucon hypochoeridis lives on the stems of Cat's ear, Autumn Hawkbit and related species. It is a large pinkish-grey aphid with pale legs that are darkened towards the apices of the segments. Immatures are grey with a reddish-pink suffusion around the bases of the siphunculi.
Phanacis hypochoeridis
The cynipid wasp Phanacis hypochoeridis causes galls to form in Cat's-ear. This takes the form of an elongated swelling, usually in the main stem of the plant, but sometimes in the flower stalk or petiole, succulent at first, later hard often wrinkled inside – up to 50 chambers, each with a yellowish-white larva.
Contarinia hypochoeridis
Contarinia hypochoeridis is a gall-midge. The larvae affect Common Cat's-ear casuing the flowers to be distorted and some florets to be stunted. The small, yellow larvae feed inside the receptacle. The larvae can jump, and several may be found inside each flower head.