Species: Crepis atribarba Heller

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Crepis atribarba Heller

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Asteraceae or Compositae

Genus:

Crepis

Species Synonyms:

none

Common Names:

slender hawksbeard
dark hawksbeard

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

southern British Columbia – southwestern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills, Frenchman River

Ecoregion:

Cypress Uplands, Mixed Grassland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

open grassland slopes

Associated species:

bastard toadflax, bluebells, blue flax, chamaerhodos, deathcamas, northern bedstraw, woolly groundsel

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Slender hawksbeard is endangered because it is regionally restricted in Saskatchewan. Most local populations are small. Possible threats to this species include habitat loss due to planned developments.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

15 – 70 cm tall

Roots:

taproot long, thin

Stems:

perennial, 1 – 2 stems from persistent woody base, branched, juice milky, green, intermittently woolly

Leaves:

mostly basal; basal leaves 8 – 12 cm long, 1 – 2 cm wide, deeply lobed, terminal lobe long and gradually tapered, lobes linear and entire, leaves tomentose to nearly hairless except for purplish midvein; stem leaves reduced, alternate, uppermost linear and entire

Inflorescence:

heads 2 – 3, to 1 cm broad, 10 – 35-flowered, ray flowers only; bracts in 2 series, outer bracts 5 – 10, less than half as long as inner, midvein dark, sometimes with blackish bristles, dark-tipped, gray-woolly; receptacle naked

Flowers:

ray flowers 8 – 20, to 1 cm long, tip toothed, yellow; pappus of capillary bristles, barbed, white

Fruits:

achene round in cross section, 10 – 20-ribbed, beakless, yellowish-green

CREPIS KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Annual; stem leaves with ear-like lobes	C. tectorum
1 Perennial; stem leaves if present, without ear-like lobes	2

2 Stems and stem leaves hairless (or at most weakly hairy); leaves entire or dentate	3
2 Stems woolly or hairy; leaves lobed	4

3 Bracts not hairy or glandular	C. runcinata ssp. glauca
3 Leaves glandular along midrib	C. runcinata ssp. hispidulosa

4 Leaf segments linear to narrowly lance-shaped, usually entire; achenes greenish	C. atribarba
4 Leaf segments lance-shaped, usually toothed; achenes greenish or brownish	5

5 Plants usually < 35 cm tall; bracts glandular hairy	C. occidentalis ssp. costata
5 Plants usually > 35 cm tall; bracts not glandular hairy	C. intermedia