''Crepis modocensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

known by the common name Modoc hawksbeard. It is native to western North America (

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

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Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

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Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

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), where it grows in several types of mountain and plateau habitat, including

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

.Calflora taxon report, University of California, ''Crepis modocensis'' E. Greene, Modoc hawksbeard
/ref> It typically prefers rocky soil. The species name is from the

Modoc Plateau __NOTOC__ The Modoc Plateau lies in the northeast corner of California as well as parts of Oregon and Nevada. Nearly of the Modoc National Forest are on the plateau between the Medicine Lake Highlands in the west and the Warner Mountains in th ...

, in the northeast California range.

Description

''Crepis modocensis'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb growing an erect stem up to 45 centimeters (18 inches) tall and often lined with long

bristles A bristle is a stiff hair or feather (natural or artificial), either on an animal, such as a pig, a plant, or on a tool such as a brush or broom. Synthetic types Synthetic materials such as nylon are also used to make bristles in items such as ...

. The woolly and sometimes bristly leaves are dark-veined and edged with blunt and sharp lobes. The longest leaves at the base of the plant reach about 25 centimeters (10 inches) long. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

bears one to ten

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

about in diameter with rough or bristly

phyllaries In botanical terminology, a phyllary, also known an involucral bract or tegule, is a single bract of the involucre of a composite flower. The involucre is the grouping of bracts together. Phyllaries are reduced leaf-like structures that form one ...

and up to 60 yellow

ray florets The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae we ...

but no

disc floret The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae we ...

s. The fruit is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not op ...

around a centimeter long which is black, sometimes green or red tinted, and sports a tufty white pappus.Flora of North America, ''Crepis modocensis''
/ref> ;Subspecies *''Crepis modocensis'' subsp. ''glareosa'' (Piper) Babc. & Stebbins –

Kittitas County Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima Cou ...

*''Crepis modocensis'' subsp. ''modocensis'' – most of species range *''Crepis modocensis'' subsp. ''rostrata'' (Coville) Babc. & Stebbins –

*''Crepis modocensis'' subsp. ''subacaulis'' (Kellogg) Babc. & Stebbins –

''C. modocensis'' may have hybridized with ''

Crepis atribarba ''Crepis atribarba'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names slender hawksbeard and dark hawksbeard. It is native to western Canada and the western United States It has been found in ...

'' to produce ''

Crepis barbigera ''Crepis barbigera'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the northwestern United States. It has been found in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. ''Crepis barbigera'' is a perennial herb up to 80& ...

'', the head size of which is intermediate between its prospective parent species.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Crepis modocensis'' (Modoc hawksbeard)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Crepis modocensis''USDA Plants Profile for ''Crepis modocensis'' (Modoc hawksbeard)UC CalPhotos gallery of ''Crepis modocensis''
* modocensis Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Nevada Flora of Utah Flora of the Great Basin Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) ~ Plants described in 1895 Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Cichorieae-stub