Smooth Hawksbeard

(Crepis capillaris)

 

Color Photograph: Michael Becker, GNU Free Documentation License

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Plant dandelion in appearance with a basal rosette of shiny, danelionlike leaves and an elongate flowering stalk. The elongate flowering stalk has small, untoothed linear leaves whose bases clasp the stem. Flowers yellow and in a loose panicle. Flower heads about 1/2 inch in diameter. Plant 6 to 15 inches in height.

Distribution: Southern Canada and the northeastern United States, southward to North Carolina and Tennessee. Also occurs throughout most of the western states and Texas.

Habitat: Smooth Hawksbeard is found in fields, roadsides, and other disturbed areas.

Flowering period: July to September.

Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris)

Similar Species:

Despite its superficial similarity to dandelions, Smooth Hawksbeard has much smaller flowers and the flowers are not solitary on a hollow flower stalk.

Similar Species

No Similar Species