Distribution of the species
Quite common in dry and rocky places, in open spaces, on mountain roads sides, in mountain meadows, heather openings, in pine and oak forests, as well as in forest glades above 1,100 m. Occasionally, it occurs in ravines at lower altitudes.
Description of the species (biological and ecological features)
Herbaceous plant, with horizontal or oblique rhizome. It belongs to the plants that create horizontal shoots that grow along the ground, forming new roots from the nodes, helping plant reproduction and spread. These stems are short, thick, with white hairs. The leaves on the lower surface have such hairs, as well. The leaves form a rosette, located at the base of the stem and placed (above the ground) in a circular pattern. The flowering stem is small (up to 15 cm), erect, with abundant hairs, ending in a large circular “flower”. It is actually a head, a complex flower, consisting of numerous, small, independent, stalked, lemon-yellow flowers (ray flowers), which look like ligules, and are densely arranged on a wide disk. The flowers have a dark red color “ribbon” on the underside. It flowers from July to mid-September. It is a species with a diversity of forms, belonging to one of the richest genera (Pilosella) in the world. The attempt to systematically classify it by the middle of the 20th century had created much controversy between British and Scandinavian botanists and botanists from Central Europe. It was considered a subgenus of the wider plant genus Hieracium, which is etymologically derived from the word hierax (hawk). These plants have linked to hawks, suggesting that these birds ate Hieracium shoots to enhance their vision or comparing the plant’s yellow compound flowers with hawk eyes. It is now accepted that the two genera differ in morphological, biochemical, cytological and genetic characteristics.
Due to its relatively wide distribution on Mount Paggaio, no particular threats and pressures were observed or reported, which could lead to a significant reduction in its population.
Conservation status
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Conservation state
It is not subjected to any national or international conservation status.