Snowdonia hawkweed  (Hieracium snowdoniense)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

The Snowdonia hawkweed is one of the world's rarest plants with just one surviving specimen known. Amazingly, it was rediscovered in 2002 after a 35-year period when it was thought to be extinct (2). This hawkweed forms a rosette of gently toothed lance-shaped leaves which narrow towards the base to form a shaggy stalk. A slender stem bears a cluster of deep golden-yellow flower heads. The bases of the flower heads are surrounded by a whorl of black, velvety bracts (modified leaves), known as an 'involucre' (3).

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