Hypochaeris radicata L.

Hypochaeris radicata is a perennial plant emitting one or more long floral stems. All oblong leaves are spread in rosette at the base of the plant. The margin is sharply cut with large rounded tines. The leaf blade is thick and hirsute. When cut, a milky white substance exudes. The flowers are assembled into composite heads, solitary at the end of a long stem slightly or not branched. They are yellow in colour. Dried and elongated fruits are topped by feathery hairs forming small parachutes during their dissemination.
 
Cotyledons

Cotyledons are sessile, fleshy and glabrous. They are spatula shaped, with attenuated base and rounded top.
 
General habit

Plant in rosette whose single inflorescence is erect, with a few topped with a yellow capitulum. Plants 20 to 40 cm high.
 
Underground system

The root consists of a very long main taproot, capable of storing a large amount of reserves.
 
Stem
 
The stem corresponds to an inflorescence axis. It is cylindrical to slightly grooved, hollow, exuding a white latex when cut. It is glabrous or sometimes a little hairy at the base, smooth, equipped with herbaceous scales. A small bract is located at the base of each branch.
 
Leaf

The leaves are all radical, sessile, spreading in rosette. Lamina, 10 to 25 cm long and 4 to 8 cm wide, oblong shape, is covered with long stiff, erect hairs. It is thick and attenuated at the base and rounded or obtuse at the apex. The margin is sharply cut with large rounded tines.
 
Inflorescence

The inflorescence is a terminal capitulum rather large of 4 cm in diameter, yellow in color. At the base is an involucre of 2-5 rows of lanceolate bracts, scarious on the edges, glabrous or sometimes bristling on the veins. The receptacle of the capitulum is flat and has a large number of flowers.
 
Flower

The flowers are hermaphroditic ligulate, 1.5 cm long, between which are found shorter membranous threads. Ligule yellow, with 5 small tines at the end.
 
Fruit

The fruit is a fusiform achene. Those on the periphery of the capitulum may lack beak and are long of 3 to 4 mm. Those in the center are ended with a beak,6-8mm long. Achenes are streaked with 15 longitudinal ridges with small protrusions. They are brown. The achenes are surmounted by a white pappus formed of two sets of bristles 7.5 to 10 mm long. The shorter outer bristles are scabrous, while the inner bristles are feathery.