Star hawkbit

Rhagadiolus stellatus, the star hawkbit, is a small slender annual herb in the Asteraceae family, native to the Mediterranean basin, southern Europe, north Africa and south-western Asia. It typically grows 10 to 40 cm tall with thin, wiry, often sparsely branched stems that exude milky latex when cut. The basal and lower stem leaves are oblanceolate to lyrate, 3 to 10 cm long, with coarsely toothed or pinnately lobed margins; upper leaves are smaller, narrower and sometimes entire. The flower heads (capitula) are small, yellow and ligulate, composed entirely of ray florets typical of the Cichorieae, opening only in bright weather. The most distinctive feature appears at fruiting: the achenes elongate dramatically and spread outwards in a star-shaped arrangement, each topped by a small persistent calyx, giving the genus its name. It is a frequent component of open grasslands, fallow fields, vineyards, olive groves and roadsides on lime-rich soils.