At first glance, spotting a bright yellow flower in your yard might lead you to believe it’s a dandelion. However, not all yellow-flowered weeds are what they seem.
Several common weeds closely resemble dandelions — some with similar blooms, others with nearly identical leaves.
Misidentifying dandelion look-alikes can lead to ineffective weeding strategies. While true dandelions are relatively easy to pull due to their single taproot, many imposters have more complex root systems or grow more aggressively. Proper identification helps you choose the right method of control.
Here’s a breakdown of the most common weeds that look like dandelions, how to tell them apart, and their proper eradication strategies.
1. False Dandelion (Hypochaeris radicata)
- Local Name: Cat’s Ear, Spotted Catsear, Flatweed, Gosmore
- Family: Asteraceae
- Annual or Perennial: Perennial
Cat’s Ear is a perennial weed that grows 5-40 cm tall and can live up to 10 years. It is found in lawns, meadows, fields, pastures, and roadsides.
As the name suggests, False Dandelion is one of the most frequently mistaken plants for dandelions.
The plant has bright yellow flowers that resemble dandelion blooms, a basal rosette of toothed leaves, and produces fluffy seed heads like dandelions.
However, the False Dandelion has hairy leaves, hence the name “Cat’s Ear”. It also has branched and solid stems, unlike the hollow single stem of a dandelion and multiple flowers per stem.
It is native to:
- Europe
- Asia
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Hand-pulling or digging out the entire plant before it flowers can help effectively control small infestations.
- Chemical control: Spray a selective herbicide containing 2,4-D for areas like lawns and glyphosate for other places with unwanted vegetation. Spot spray on the basal rosettes or plants or before the flower buds appear to eradicate the weed.
2. Common Hawkweed (Hieracium lachenalii)
- Local Name: Yellow Hawkweed
- Family: Asteraceae
- Annual or Perennial: Perennial
The Common Hawkweed is a perennial herbaceous plant 10-90 cm tall. They are mostly found in pastures, roadsides, fields, and mountain meadows.
Hawkweed has rosettes of hairy leaves similar to dandelions and produces small, yellow flower heads on leafless stems.
Despite these similarities, the weed has more narrow leaves with black hairs and grows in clusters with several flowers per plant.
It is native to:
- Europe
- Asia
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Dig the entire plant from the roots to prevent regrowth. If already flowering, bag and dispose of the flowering stems to prevent seed spread.
- Chemical control: Apply herbicides containing picloram, 2,4-D, aminopyralid, clopyralid + 2,4-D amine, triclopyr + clopyralid, and dicamba.
3. Common Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
- Local Name: Sowthistle, Hare’s Thistle, Milky Tassel
- Family: Asteraceae
- Annual or Perennial: Annual
Sowthistle is a tall, fast-growing weed that is frequently confused with dandelions during early growth stages. It has yellow flowers with similar petal structure and grows from a basal rosette with jagged leaves.
However, the two differ in height as the Sonchus grows much taller than dandelions, often over 3 feet. Their seed heads are smaller and leaves clasp the stem and often have a bluish tint. They also have hollow stems that exude a milky sap when broken.
The annual weed is commonly found in crop fields, roadsides, nurseries, and other disturbed sites.
It is native to:
- Europe
- North Africa
- Asia
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Hand-pulling is effective in removing small weed infestations and can also be used after tillage to remove any remaining weeds. Tillage is more feasible for large infestations and should be done within two weeks after weed emergence.
- Cultural control: Consider cover cropping or plant crops at the highest density to increase competitiveness and this will help reduce sow thistle germination and seed set.
- Chemical control: Spot spray herbicides like dicamba and glyphosate in the early rosette stage to avoid herbicide resistance.
4. Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola)
- Local Name: Milk thistle, Scarole, Compass Plant
- Family: Asteraceae
- Annual or Perennial: Annual or biennial
Prickly Lettuce is an annual or biennial plant that can reach 2m in height. It also shares several growth characteristics with dandelions.
For instance, it has yellow flowers and leaves that grow in a basal rosette when young.
The key differences that set them apart include the prickly weed’s 2m height, leaves with spiny edges, and its small clusters of flowers.
It is native to:
- Europe
- Asia
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Hand-pulling or digging is effective if done before flowering.
- Cultural control: Grazing or planting desirable crops at practical density can help reduce the spread of the weed.
- Chemical control: Repeated applications of herbicides containing glyphosate or paraquat on young plants can help eradicate the weed. However, once flowering stems emerge, high herbicide resistance has been reported.
5. Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris)
- Local Name: Smooth Hawksbeard
- Family: Asteraceae
- Annual or Perennial: Annual
Smooth Hawksbeard is an annual herb that grows up to 1m tall. It is commonly found in lawns, thin grasslands, roadsides, and rocky banks.
It features loose, dandelion-like yellow flowers and narrow, slightly lobed leaves. The plant often forms a rosette at the base.
However, the Smooth Hawksbeard stems may trail on the ground or grow taller than the dandelion. The flowers occur in clusters compared to the solitary dandelion flowers.
It is native to:
- Europe
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Pull the entire plant from the roots to prevent regrowth. This method is feasible for small infestations. Repeated hoeing done before weed establishment can also help prevent new growth establishment.
- Chemical control: Apply post-emergent herbicides containing 2,4-D or glyphosate on young plants for effective control.
Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.