Hieracium triste
Slender hawkweed, Slender Hawkweed
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Hieracium triste (Slender hawkweed) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by small stature and smooth leaves distinctive.
Slender hawkweed is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, high Cascade Range, and Sierra Nevada in moist forests, rocky open areas, and meadows at elevations of 1,650 to 3,550 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces yellow flowers in small clusters with numerous individual flower heads. Growing with thin stems 10 to 20 centimeters tall emerging from a basal rosette, it has delicate, mostly puberulent stems. Its leaves are predominantly basal, lance-oblong shaped, 2 to 8 centimeters long, and typically glabrous with entire or nearly entire edges. The plant's distinctive flower heads are characterized by long, branched, and black-glandular hairy involucres that are 7 to 8 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 7 sympatric species; small stature and smooth leaves distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist forest, rocky open areas, meadows
Elevation: 1650-3550 m
Outside California: to Alaska, northwestern Canada, Wyoming, New Mexico
Bloom period
Hieracium triste blooms Jul-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Pilosella: Pilosella has stolons (runners) spreading along the ground; Hieracium lacks these horizontal stems.; vs Daucus: Daucus has umbel flower clusters and carrot-scented foliage; Hieracium has dandelion-like heads and lacks carrot scent.; vs Adelinia: Adelinia has beaked seeds; Hieracium seeds attach directly to pappus without any beak.; vs Heterotheca: Heterotheca has ray and disk flowers (daisy-like); Hieracium has only strap-shaped flowers.; vs Rafinesquia: Rafinesquia has smooth or sparsely hairy stems; Hieracium is densely long-hairy especially below.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hieracium triste native to California?
Yes. Hieracium triste is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Hieracium triste bloom?
Hieracium triste blooms Jul-Sep.
What plant family does Hieracium triste belong to?
Hieracium triste is in the Asteraceae family, genus Hieracium.
What habitat does Hieracium triste grow in?
Hieracium triste grows in Moist forest, rocky open areas, meadows.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Hieracium albiflorum — White hawkweed
- Hieracium argutum — Southern hawkweed
- Hieracium aurantiacum — Orange hawkweed
- Hieracium bolanderi — Bolander's hawkweed
- Hieracium greenei — Greene's hawkweed
- Hieracium horridum — Prickly hawkweed
- Holocarpha heermannii — Heermann's tarweed
- Holocarpha macradenia — Santa cruz tarplant
- Holocarpha obconica — San joaquin tarweed
- Holocarpha sp. — Tarweed
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.