Crepis occidentalis (Small-Flowered Hawk's-Beard) - photos and description
Bottom of leaf in above photo; leaf with long matted hairs, no
glandular hairs on midrib.
Looking straight down on flowerhead.
Origin: Native.
General: Upright perennial with a basal rosette of leaves. The foliage is greyish-green in colour. Plants are puberulent-tomentose with rough-hairy stems. Stems angled. Leaves when pulled apart have a milky sap.
Flowers: Inflorescence in an open, corymb-like cluster. Flower heads have ray florets only, we measured a flower head at 33 mm diameter. The ligules to 13 mm long, and have small teeth at the apex. Involucral bracts with thickened midribs, bracts grow more or less in 1 series. We measured the involucre up to 20 mm high and to at 10 mm wide. The involucre (and rest of foliage) lacked glandular hairs - however the Flora of Alberta and Flora of the Great Plains document this plant frequently has glandular hairs on its upper stems and involucre.
Leaves: Lower leaves in basal rosette, deeply pinnatifid, we measured a basal leaf at 16 cm long by 4 cm wide. Basal leaves with long, matted hairs on top and bottom surfaces. Stem leaves are similar in shape but reduced, the top most bract-like. Stem leaves alternate.
Height: Height is listed in Budd's Flora to 60 cm, we measured plants to 33 cm tall.
Habitat: Dry slopes.
Abundance: Rare, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
When and where photographed: The above photos were taken on a very steep rocky slope, edge of prairie benchland, June 6th West Block Cypress Hills, about 450 km south west of our home in Regina, SK.