Plant ID needed

[CastlelackSportHorses]

Hello lovely people

Just wondering if anyone can identify this new weed growing in our hay fields(Only one field oddly enough)
Not Ragworth thankfully, but had spread allover the field and is proving very timely to pull.
I googled and its come back as Hawkweed and can cause neuro issues???

Any help appreciated.

 

[DabDab]

Hard to see the leaves...but it might be sow thistle. Plants grow quite tall if left. Annoying but not toxic as far as I'm aware

 

[CastlelackSportHorses]

Hard to see the leaves...but it might be sow thistle. Plants grow quite tall if left. Annoying but not toxic as far as I'm aware

Ill get pic of leaves later|! Thank you

 

[DabDab]

Or looking again might be hawksbeard

 

[CastlelackSportHorses]

Will get leaf pic in a while!

 

[PurBee]

Take a look on this site, it helps differentiate between the ‘hawks’ weed types:

Hawkweeds, Hawk's-beards

It’s interesting yours have a red stem at the base. Would be good to see a pic of the whole of 1 plant - do leaves go all up the stem, or are the leaves at the base and a large stem carries flowers only?

 

[CastlelackSportHorses]

Take a look on this site, it helps differentiate between the ‘hawks’ weed types:

Hawkweeds, Hawk's-beards

It’s interesting yours have a red stem at the base. Would be good to see a pic of the whole of 1 plant - do leaves go all up the stem, or are the leaves at the base and a large stem carries flowers only?

Not sure will take more pics at lunch time!

 

[CastlelackSportHorses]

 

[PurBee]

I think you have ‘smooth hawksbeard’ there - the petal shape of the flowers, at the end of each petal is squared off. The stem is smooth, the leaf shape have some minor spikes, not deep spikes of the other types.

Its confused with catsear which shouldn’t be flowering yet, and that doesn’t form lots of flowers at the top of the flower head…just 2-3-4 lobes flowers per stem…plus cats ear are shorter when mature…about 14 inches tall - whereas the hawks-weeds tend to grow well above 2 feet tall.
Cats ear (causing stringhalt - toxic) also has a smooth stem, with no leaves on the stem at all….just leaves on the ground looking like deep green hairy dandelion leaves.

It says for smooth hawksbeard that is generally considered safe for horses.

Google image search ‘smooth hawksbeard’ (I’ve just done this) and all pics resemble yours.

I’ve seen all sorts of ‘hawk weeds’ this year on our farm and it’s hard to discern them all, until we look closely!

 

[PurBee]

P.s the reddish stem is distinctive on your, which aligns with smooth hawksbeard than many of the other types.

 

[CastlelackSportHorses]

I think you have ‘smooth hawksbeard’ there - the petal shape of the flowers, at the end of each petal is squared off. The stem is smooth, the leaf shape have some minor spikes, not deep spikes of the other types.

Its confused with catsear which shouldn’t be flowering yet, and that doesn’t form lots of flowers at the top of the flower head…just 2-3-4 lobes flowers per stem…plus cats ear are shorter when mature…about 14 inches tall - whereas the hawks-weeds tend to grow well above 2 feet tall.
Cats ear (causing stringhalt - toxic) also has a smooth stem, with no leaves on the stem at all….just leaves on the ground looking like deep green hairy dandelion leaves.

It says for smooth hawksbeard that is generally considered safe for horses.

Google image search ‘smooth hawksbeard’ (I’ve just done this) and all pics resemble yours.

I’ve seen all sorts of ‘hawk weeds’ this year on our farm and it’s hard to discern them all, until we look closely!

Amazing thank you so much!!