Smooth hawksbeard
Crepis capillaris
A single plant can produce several thousand seeds, each equipped with a feathery 'pappus' that allows it to travel miles on a light breeze.
- Scientific name
- Crepis capillaris
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Crepis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Meadows, pastures, roadsides, waste ground, and urban lawns.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (requires sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- Europe, North America, South America, Oceania
- Size
- Height ranges from 10 to 90 cm depending on soil quality.
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years (annual or biennial).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Over-mowing, intensive herbicide use, and land development.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. This plant is safe to touch and observe. It is frequently found in lawns and meadows; no special precautions are needed other than avoiding areas treated with chemical herbicides.
The smooth hawksbeard , Crepis capillaris , is a species in the dandelion tribe within the sunflower family, native to Europe. It has become naturalized in other lands and is regarded as a weed in some places.
Photo: Jacqui Geux, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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