Flower profile

Orange hawkweed

Pilosella aurantiaca

Orange hawkweed (Pilosella aurantiaca) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Orange hawkweed is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

33states where USDA records it

9Bloomipedia state lists include it

21,996U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Alaska and Montana. It's on those states' official invasive plant lists (Alaska: Prohibited noxious weed (as Hieracium aurantiacum); Montana: Priority 2A noxious weed). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{11 AAC 34.020 ARM 4.5.206–210}

Quick look

Pilosella aurantiaca is a perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to mountainous regions of Europe and has been widely introduced elsewhere, where it is invasive in parts of North America, New Zealand, and Australia.
From Wikipedia's article Pilosella aurantiaca, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 33 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Michigan, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
In Wisconsin, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,945 research-grade sightings of it in Michigan, ranking #48 among the 172 flowers on our Michigan list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,906 research-grade sightings of it in Wisconsin, ranking #40 among the 161 flowers on our Wisconsin list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,673 research-grade sightings of it in Minnesota, ranking #42 among the 152 flowers on our Minnesota list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,523 records)

Bloom time in the 9 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Michigan	Introduced	June–August	2,945
Wisconsin	Introduced	June–August	2,906
Minnesota	Introduced	June–September	2,673
New York	Introduced	June–August	2,433
Maine	Introduced	June–September	1,929
Vermont	Introduced	June–September	1,884
New Hampshire	Introduced	June–July	1,612
Alaska	Introduced	few records (42)	998
Montana	Introduced	few records (33)	630

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)

Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}

NatureServe global

GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 7 of our 9 states.

See each state

Michigan: Not listed Not on Michigan endangered and threatened plants (Mich. Admin. Code R 299.1028, eff. March 20, 2023). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Michigan. ^{R 299.1028}
Wisconsin: Not listed Not on Wisconsin endangered and threatened species list (Wis. Admin. Code NR 27.03). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Wisconsin. ^{NR 27.03}
Minnesota: Not listed Not on Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Minnesota. ^{Minn. R. 6134.0300}
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New York. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Maine: Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Maine. ^{Maine rare plant list}
Vermont: Not listed Not on Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Vermont. ^{Vermont E&T list}
New Hampshire: Not listed Not on New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Hampshire. ^{NH Ncr 312}

Alaska

No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Alaska.

Montana

No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Montana.

Rare elsewhere

No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records orange hawkweed in 33 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Michigan counties with USDA records: Alcona, Alger, Allegan, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Barry, Bay, Benzie, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Clinton, Crawford, Delta, Dickinson, Eaton, Emmet, Genesee, Gladwin, Gogebic, Grand Traverse, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Houghton, Ingham, Ionia, Iosco, Iron, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Kent, Keweenaw, Lake, Lapeer, Leelanau, Lenawee, Livingston, Luce, Mackinac, Macomb, Marquette, Mason, Mecosta, Menominee, Midland, Missaukee, Monroe, Montcalm, Montmorency, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oakland, Oceana, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Ottawa, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Saginaw, Sanilac, Schoolcraft, Shiawassee, St. Clair, St. Joseph, Van Buren, Washtenaw, Wayne.

Wisconsin counties with USDA records: Brown, Clark, Door, Forest, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Oneida, Shawano, Taylor.

Minnesota counties with USDA records: Anoka, Carlton, Cass, Chisago, Cook, Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Lake, Pine, Polk, Sherburne, St. Louis, Washington, Winona.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Introduced; Canada: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 377 counties across 26 states; the most are in Michigan (78), Pennsylvania (54), New York (40).

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More Michigan flowers

Chicory

Cichorium intybus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MI: June–October

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in MI: June–August

Spotted knapweed

Centaurea stoebe

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MI: July–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile HIAU.
iNaturalist, Pilosella aurantiaca: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Pilosella aurantiaca (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (16):
Show all 16 state lists
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Pilosella aurantiaca (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Melanie Cayon via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.