[Hawksbeards East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]
Slender Hawksbeard
Crepis atribarba ssp. atribarba
Synonyms: Crepis atribarba ssp. cytotaxonomicorum, Crepis atribarba ssp. typicus, Crepis atribarba var. cytotaxonomicorum, Psilochenia atribarba
One of the flower heads of slender hawksbeard. Photographed near Rimrock Lake in Moses Coulee, central Washington...................June 6, 2009.
The
photo at right shows slender hawksbeard (ssp. atrabarba) as found near Blue Sky, Hart Mt. National
Antelope Refuge in south-central Oregon.....July 5, 1996. If one looks closely
the hairless leaves and stems as well as the linear leaflets of the plant may
be seen.
Characteristics:
Slender hawksbeard is a perennial wildflower with several erect
stems arising 15-70 cm high. The herbage varies from gray tomentulose (especially
when young) to gabrous. The basal and lower stem leaves are deeply pinnatifid
with a narrow central stem and linear to lance-linear segments, each of which
has entire margins. The lower leaves vary from 10-35 cm long. The upper leaves
are linear with entire margins.
The 3-40 flower heads are found at the tips of the stems. Each
dandylion-like flower head contains 10-40 yellow ray flowers. The individual
flower corollas range from 10-18 mm long. The involucre measures from 8-15 mm
high, often containing some glandless black bristles although in some plants,
the involucres may be glabrous. The outer bracts usually measure less than one-half
as long as the inner 8-10 bracts.
Habitat:
Slender hawksbeard is a plant of dry, open places in the foothills
and mountains.
Range:
Slender hawksbeard may be found from southern British Columbia
south along the east side of the Cascade Mts. to central Nevada and central
Colorado and east to Alberta.
In the Columbia River Gorge, Crepis atrabarba may be
found east of The Dalles, OR between the elevations of 200'-600'
The long, narrow leaf of slender hawksbeard. Note the narrow lobes. Photographed near Rimrock Lake in Moses Coulee, central Washington...................June 6, 2009.
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An example of slender hawksbeard found on a rocky viewpoint at the high terminus of the Valley Trail, Little Spokane River Natural Area, Spokane County, Washington..............July 5, 2011. These individuals lack the bristle-like setae on the involucral bracts.
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Examples of slender hawksbeard as seen on bunchgrass grasslands at the Davis Canyon Natural Area Preserve, Okanogan County, Washington................June 11, 2011. Note that this population has bristle-like setae on the involucral bracts.
Slender hawksbeard growing amongst spurred lupine (Lupinus arbustus) and Raynold's sedge (Carex raynoldsii) near Table Rock, Monument Rock Wilderness.................August 3, 2011.
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Slender hawksbeard (ssp. atrabarba) as found near Blue Sky, Hart Mt. National
Antelope Refuge in south-central Oregon.....July 5, 1996.
Paul Slichter