Crepis vesicaria
Crepis nana
beak hawk's-beard, weedy hawksbeard
dwarf alpine hawksbeard, dwarf hawksbeard
1, erect to arcuate or decumbent (green or purple proximally), usually much branched, glabrate to hispid and/or tomentose, sometimes sparsely setose (setae black).
1–10+, erect or ascending (in dense clumps), simple or proximally branched, glabrous.
basal and cauline;
petiolate (bases clasping);
blades oblanceolate to ovate, often runcinate, 10–35 × 2–8 cm, margins pinnately lobed to toothed (terminal lobes relatively large), apices obtuse or acute, faces usually hirsute (hairs sometimes only on veins) or glabrous (cauline sessile, bases auriculate, clasping, margins ± toothed).
basal and cauline;
petiolate (at least basal);
blades (often purplish), orbiculate to spatulate, less often lyrate or runcinate, 2–9 × 0.5–2.5 cm, (bases abruptly 0) margins entire or pinnately lobed, apices obtuse to acute, faces glabrous (glaucous).
cylindro-campanulate (becoming turbinate or urceolate in fruit), 5–14 × 5–6 mm.
cylindric, 8–13 × 3–4 mm.
50–70;
corollas yellow (reddish abaxially), 6–15 mm.
9–12;
corollas yellow, purple-tinged abaxially, 9–12 mm.
7–16, (reflexed at maturity) lanceolate, 10–12 mm, (margins green to yellowish), apices obtuse or acute (ciliate), abaxial faces tomentose and often stipitate-glandular, adaxial with fine, appressed hairs.
8–10, (dark green or purple medially) oblong, 10–11 mm, (margins scarious, eciliate) apices acute, faces glabrous.
of 5–12, ovate to linear-lanceolate, glabrous bractlets 3–4 mm (reflexed in fruit, scarious).
of 5–10 (dark green or blackish), lanceolate, glabrous bractlets 2–3 mm.
10–20, in lax, corymbiform arrays.
5–80+ (among or beyond leaves), in cymiform arrays.
(monomorphic or dimorphic) pale brown or yellowish, fusiform, 4–9 mm, outer wider with apices attenuate (not beaked), inner gradually tapered, beaked (beaks 2–5 mm, ± equal to bodies), ribs 10 (narrow);
pappi white (fine, soft), 3–6 mm.
golden brown, subcylindric to fusiform, 4–7 mm, apices sometimes tapered (not beaked), ribs 10–13 (broad, smooth);
pappi (falling) bright white, 4–6 mm.
= 8, 16.
= 14.
Crepis vesicaria
Crepis nana
Native to the Mediterranean region of western Europe, Crepis vesicaria is recognized by its annual or biennial habit, pinnately lobed leaves, reflexed calyculi, tomentose and glandular phyllaries, and slender, long-beaked inner cypselae. It is polymorphic; subspecies are recognized in Europe. E. B. Babcock (1947) identified the North American plants as subsp. taraxaciflora (Thuiller) Thellung, which some Europeans (T. G. Tutin et al. 1964–1980, vol. 4) have listed as a synonym of subsp. haenseleri (Boissier ex de Candolle) P. D. Sell.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Crepis nana occurs in North America and northern Asia. It is recognized by the tufted, cespitose habit, elongate roots and rhizomes, and occurrence in alpine habitats. In the typical form, the plants are tufted, the stems are not leafy, and the heads are borne among the leaves. Taller specimens with elongated, leafy branches and heads borne well beyond the basal leaves are sometimes recognized as subsp. ramosa; these characteristics appear to be part of the normal range of variation for the species.
Crepis nana is closely related to C. elegans, differing mainly in the shape of the cypselae. The cypselae of C. nana are almost always more columnar, wider at bases, and with broader ribs, than those of C. elegans.
The name Crepis nana subsp. clivicola Legge is invalid.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Go Botany- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
