Fassett’s Hawkweed: A Rare Native with Limited Garden Potential
If you’ve stumbled across Hieracium ×fassettii var. mendicum in your plant research, you’ve discovered one of the more elusive members of the hawkweed family. This native perennial might sound intriguing, but before you start planning its spot in your garden, there are some important things you should know about this uncommon variety.
What Is Fassett’s Hawkweed?
Hieracium ×fassettii var. mendicum is a native hawkweed variety that belongs to a group of perennial forbs – essentially herbaceous plants that lack woody stems and store their energy in underground parts during winter. The × in its botanical name tells us this is a hybrid, which already hints at why information about this plant is so scarce.
As a member of the hawkweed family, this plant shares the characteristic growth habit of its relatives: it’s a low-growing perennial that develops from underground rootstock each spring.
Where Does It Grow Naturally?
This particular variety has an extremely limited native range, found only in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Such a restricted distribution is quite unusual and suggests this plant has very specific habitat requirements that aren’t easily replicated in typical garden settings.
The Garden Reality Check
Here’s where things get tricky for gardeners: there’s virtually no available information about how to successfully grow Hieracium ×fassettii var. mendicum. We don’t know its preferred growing conditions, soil requirements, sun exposure needs, or how it performs in cultivation. This lack of information isn’t just an oversight – it likely reflects how rarely this plant is encountered, even in its native range.
Should You Try to Grow It?
While the idea of growing a rare native plant might appeal to adventurous gardeners, the practical challenges are significant:
- No available cultivation information
- Extremely limited natural range
- Likely very specific habitat requirements
- Uncertain availability from reputable native plant sources
- Unknown garden performance and aesthetic value
Better Native Alternatives
Instead of chasing this elusive variety, consider these well-documented native alternatives that offer similar ecological benefits:
- Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) – Excellent pollinator plant with attractive flowers
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – Reliable, beautiful, and widely available
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) – Hardy, cheerful, and supports local wildlife
- Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – Native to both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
The Bottom Line
While Hieracium ×fassettii var. mendicum represents an interesting piece of our native flora, it’s not a practical choice for most gardeners. The combination of extremely limited range, lack of cultivation information, and uncertain availability makes it more of a botanical curiosity than a garden-worthy plant.
Your gardening efforts will be much more successful – and equally beneficial to local ecosystems – if you focus on well-documented native plants that are readily available and proven to thrive in garden settings. Save the plant hunting for botanists, and fill your garden with natives that will actually flourish!
