Common name:
Bristly ox-tongue
Family:
Scientific name:
Helminthotheca echioides
Synonym:
picris echioides
Main flower color:
Range:
Wales and the southern half of England
Height:
Up to 80 cm
Habitat:
Disturbed ground, grassy places
Flowers:
Open clusters of a small number of yellow flowerheads, each up to 2.5 cm in diameter, at the end of the branched, densely bristly stems. Florets may be red-striped underneath. The involucre is ringed by two rows of phyllaries; the lower are spreading and leaf-like, covered with bristles, while the upper are less than half as wide, longer, and appressed. Bristles, and stems, are often purplish
Leaves:
Oblong, with bristles of different length along the edges, and on the surface, rising from light-coloured, swollen bases. Stem leaves are clasping at the base
Season:
June to October
Rarity:
★★★★★
