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:

Campanula rotundifolia, Chamaerhodos erecta var. nuttallii, Comandra umbellata ssp. pallida, Galium boreale, Linum lewisii Packera cana, Zigadenus venosus var. gramineus

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Crepis atribarba 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 caudex, branched, juice milky, green, intermittently tomentose

Leaves:

mostly basal; basal leaves 8 – 12 cm long, 1 – 2 cm wide; deeply pinnatifed with pointed lobes, terminal lobe long and attenuate, lobes linear and entire, leaves tomentose to glabrate except for purplish midvein; cauline leaves reduced, alternate, uppermost linear and entire

Inflorescence:

heads 2 – 3, to 1 cm broad, 10 – 35-flowered, ligulate; involucre in 2 series, outer bracts 5 – 10, less than half as long as inner, dark midvein, sometimes with blackish setae, dark-tipped, gray tomentose; receptacle naked

Flowers:

ligules 8 – 20, to 1 cm long, apex toothed, yellow; pappus capillary bristles, barbellate, white

Fruits:

achene terete, 10 – 20-ribbed, beakless, yellowish-green

CREPIS KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Annual; cauline leaves auriculate	C. tectorum
1 Perennial; cauline leaves if present, not auriculate	2

2 Stems and cauline leaves glabrous (or at most weakly hispid); leaves entire or dentate	3
2 Stems tomentose or puberulent; leaves pinnatifed	4

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

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

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