Hawk - Leopard Flower

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The hawk is rarely found in amateur gardens. The unpretentious flower gets along well on any soil. Let's take a closer look at this amazing plant

Last fall I was presented with a bush with the unusual name Leopard Hawk. The plant overwintered well, increased the number of outlets. This summer I was pleased with the first inflorescences of a bright yellow hue. Leafing through scientific literature, I learned a lot of interesting things about this flower.

Botanical description

In total, more than 100 species of hawk are known. In the central part of Russia, the most common in the wild: hairy, shaggy, umbrella. In the gardens, there are more beautiful artificially bred hybrids: leopard with variegated leaves, bright orange with bright inflorescences.

The plant belongs to the Asteraceae family, subspecies ligulate. Leaves and stems in wild specimens are pubescent with glandular hairs, basal rosettes are located near the ground. Stems of peduncles in length reach from 20 to 60 cm. Petals in most species are yellow serrated along the edge. Occasionally, bright orange shades are found. The buds are collected in baskets of several pieces. When unfolded, it is 1–2.5 cm in diameter. Flowering begins in June and ends in late summer.

Excellent honey plant. Attracts butterflies of all stripes, bees, bumblebees to the garden. When the seeds ripen, it forms a fluffy ball, similar to a dandelion, only of a smaller size.

Preferences

An unpretentious perennial grows on any type of soil. Loves sunny glades, protected from strong winds. Put up with penumbra. It is not picky about soil fertility. Prefers moderate watering during long, dry periods. Poorly tolerates close standing groundwater, wetlands. It winters well under the snow, without requiring shelter.

In the wild, it often settles among rocks, rocky alpine areas with an alkaline substrate. In the Middle Lane, it occurs along roads, on the edges of deciduous and pine forests, dry meadows.

Low-growing specimens look beautiful on alpine hills, along the edge of the rabatka. Tall plants are used in compositions with rudbeckia, gailardia, daylilies, chamomile, loosestrife, heliopsis, snapdragon, coreopsis dyeing.

Reproduction

The easiest way to breed a hawk is with freshly harvested seeds. They are sown before frost directly on the garden bed. In winter, they undergo natural stratification. They give amicable shoots in the spring. After 3 weeks, young seedlings dive to a permanent place, setting the distance between plants to 20-30 cm.

The second option is the division of mature bushes. Large rosettes with basal leaves are separated from the mother plant. Dig shallow pits, spill abundantly. They are planted carefully, without covering the growth point with earth. Compress the soil around the roots.

Some hawk species breed in stolons, like strawberries. They form small rosettes at the ends of elongated shoots.

This year I had an interesting experience. During the weeding of a friend, several rosettes with leaves, but without roots, broke off along with the weeds. She suggested that I conduct an experiment. Try to root them in mid-June. I cut off the peduncles, planted them in moist soil, slightly sprinkling the base of the plants with earth. Covered the top with scraps of plastic bottles. The covers were previously removed from them for better ventilation. Created a mini greenhouse above each plant. She covered 4 copies, and left 5 without a bottle for the experiment. To my surprise, all the hawks survived under the “caps” and began to grow actively, increasing the green mass. The last flower left in the open air dried up from the bright sun. This is what the power of life means!

Medicinal raw materials

Wild hawk species are used in folk medicine as a medicinal plant. Leaves and roots are used for sore throat, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys. They successfully stop bleeding, heal wounds.

Leopard hawk is one of the most beautiful forms in ornamental gardening. It forms small curtains and is not a creeping variant like other species. You can limit unwanted self-seeding by removing dry peduncles. Bright yellow inflorescences delight all summer. There is a feeling of the constant presence of a warm sun on the site.