Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Dandelion Hawksbeard
Crepis runcinata
Aster family (Asteraceae)

The slender profile of Hawksbeard might be lost in its normal habitat of grassy except that its bright yellow flower grabs our attention. Then we follow down the tall almost leafless to the small Dandelion-like leaves. Characteristics to help distinguish this Crepis from others include its wetland habitats in and , its broad, bulbous , and its lack of hairiness.

Edwin James collected the first specimen of this plant for science around 1820 and named it Hieracium runcinatum in 1823. Torrey and Gray renamed it Crepis runcinata in 1843 and it has since undergone a number of name changes, including Psilochenia runcinata assigned by Love and Love in 1982. "Crepis," a boot or sandal, is an ancient Greek name used by Pliny for some plant. The allusion is unknown. "Runcinatus" means "saw-."


©2008 Steve Matson

Description

, up to 20" tall, usually hairless () with branched stems and milky sap. Flowerhead arranged loosely at ends of branches. Flowerheads are comprised of 20-50 tightly clustered yellow , appearing somewhat Dandelion-like. Leaves mainly with a few small along tall, lanky stem. up to 4" long, , margins smooth or with backward-pointing . are smooth with long, slender beaks and of clustered white hairs.

Field Marks

Yellow dandelion-like flowerheads, hairless stems, broad , found in moist soils.

© Al Schneider

meadow -- Large grass and wildflower filled area with few, if any, trees.

achene -- a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. For example, a rose hip holds a few achenes.

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

subalpine -- Just below the timberline.

ray flowers -- The outer petals of a sunflower or daisy are ray flowers.

Involucre is the name given to the circle or spiral collection of bracts around a flower-cluster.

pappus -- Small scales, bristles or hairs at the top of the seed in Asteraceae. For example, dandelion parachutes. Plural: pappi.

basal -- at the base, situated or attached at the base.

Like the teeth on a saw, leaves and other surfaces can have toothed edges.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

stalk -- The supporting structure of an organ. Examples of stalks are stem, peduncle, petiole, ...

basal leaves -- a leaf that grows lowest on the stem of a plant.

montane -- inhabiting mountainous country but below timberline.

elliptic -- Oval, with no point or a very short point.

glabrous -- smooth, glossy, having no bristles or hair-like structures. Bald.

leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.