''Leontodon hispidus'' is a species of
hawkbit
''Leontodon'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, commonly known as hawkbits.
Their English name derives from the mediaeval belief that hawks ate the plant to improve their eyesight. Although originally onl ...
known by the common names bristly hawkbit and rough hawkbit.
It is native to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
but it can be found throughout
North America as an
introduced species
An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived the ...
.
It ranked first place among the "non-weed" perennials examined in a recent British study for meadow flora nectar productivity. Its production was almost twice as high as the best-ranking annual that was not considered a weed. Certain plants classed as weeds (including ragwort, bull thistle, and creeping thistle) produced the most nectar of all.
References
hispidus
Cichorieae
Flora of North America
Flora of Europe
{{Cichorieae-stub