Slender Hawksbeard
Crepis atribarba ssp. atribarba
Synonyms: Crepis atribarba ssp. cytotaxonomicorum, Crepis atribarba ssp. typicus, Crepis atribarba var. cytotaxonomicorum, Psilochenia atribarba
The
photo at right shows slender hawksbeard 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.
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.
Slender hawksbeard is a plant of dry, open places in the foothills and mountains.
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'.
