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Common Name: Cat's Ear

General Information

Hypochaeris radicata is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and western Asia.

Habitat

Meadws and dry pastures, grassy dunes, waysides and open woods[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position or light shade. Another report says that it dislikes shade.
A common lawn weed[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked like spinach[, , , ]. A winter salad[], it is rather bitter[]. Young leaves are mild and agreeable[].

Medicinal

Pectoral[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring.