[Members of the Sunflower Family with Dandylion-like Flower Head in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Hawksbeards Found in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

Tthe Genus Crepis

Flower head of Largeflower Hawksbeard, Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis (Synonyms: Crepis occidentalis ssp. conjuncta, Crepis occidentalis ssp. costata, Crepis occidentalis ssp. occidentalis, Crepis occidentalis ssp. pumila, Crepis occidentalis var. costata)

Flower head of western hawksbeard from the Columbia River Gorge.

Slender Hawksbeard: Crepis atribarba (Synonyms: Crepis atribarba ssp. atribarba, Crepis atribarba ssp. cytotaxonomicorum, Crepis atribarba ssp. typicus, Crepis atribarba var. cytotaxonomicorum, Psilochenia atribarba) - Native perennial wildflower. Fairly easy to recognize due to the leaves with very narrow central stem and linear leaf segments.

Baker's Hawksbeard, Cusick's Hawksbeard, Idaho Hawksbeard: Crepis bakeri (Synonyms: Crepis bakeri ssp. bakeri, Crepis bakeri ssp. cusickii, Crepis bakeri ssp. idahoensis, Psilochenia bakeri, Psilochenia bakeri ssp. cusickii, Psilochenia bakeri ssp. idahoensis)

Bearded Hawksbeard: Crepis barbigera (Synonym: Crepis atribarba ssp. originalis) - Native perennial wildflower. Inflorescence of 6-70 flower heads, each head with 8-25 flowers. The leaves are pinnatifid with wide lobes, the blade around the mid stem is wider than the other species.

Smooth Hawksbeard: Crepis capillaris (Synonym: Crepis capillaris var. capillaris) - An introduced annual found especially west of the Cascade crest. The herbage consists of short, fine, sometimes glandular hairs.

Gray Hawksbeard, Intermediate Hawksbeard, Limestone Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia (Synonym: Psilochenia intermedia) - Native perennial wildflower. Plants with broad dandelion-like leaves, both on the stem as well as at the base. Leaves pinnatifid with narrow lobes. Herbage covered with short, gray, felt-like hairs. 10-60 flower heads, each with 7-12 ray flowers. Outer bracts considerably shorter than inner bracts.

Largeflower Hawksbeard, Western Hawksbeard: Crepis occidentalis (Synonyms: Crepis occidentalis ssp. conjuncta, Crepis occidentalis ssp. costata, Crepis occidentalis ssp. occidentalis, Crepis occidentalis ssp. pumila, Crepis occidentalis var. costata)- Native perennial wildflower. Plant with broad dandelion-like leaves. The leaf segments may point slightly backwards towards the leaf base. Plants covered with short, felt-like hairs. Erect stems have 10-30 flower heads in candelbra-like clusters. Flower heads yellow, dandelion-like. 5-12 inches tall.

Bristly Hawksbeard, Rough Hawksbeard: Crepis setosa - An introduced annual usually found west of the Cascade Mts. The herbage is not glandular but consists of stiff hairs and bristles, the bristles often yellowish.


Paul Slichter