''Hypochaeris chillensis'' (sometimes spelled ''Hypochoeris'') also known as Brazilian cat's ear is a species of flowering plant in the family
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
. It is native to South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay) but has become naturalized in parts of North America, South Africa. and Taiwan. It is a common and widespread weed in the Southeast United States.
''Hypochaeris chillensis'' is a perennial herb growing a
taproot, a basal rosette of leaves, and one or more thin stems tall. The leaves are long, entire or lobed, and green. Atop the thin, naked stems are
flower heads
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
with small golden yellow ray florets, typically in diameter.
Uses
''Hypochaeris chillensis'' is used as
medicinal plant in Brazil. The leaves and roots are edible either raw or cooked.
In the state of
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...
, it is consumed raw as component of green salads.
Gallery
Image:Hypochaeris brasiliensis leaves.JPG, leaves
Image:Hypochaeris brasiliensis seeds.jpg, seeds
References
External links
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Brazil in 1994
chillensis
Edible plants
Leaf vegetables
Herbs
Flora of South America
Plants described in 1818
{{cichorieae-stub