# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/1db41179-8fac-49dd-aa06-f00bd34c6c70
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/54050
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepis capillaris
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/151130085/medium.jpeg (Jacqui Geux, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.