Crepis pulchra L., smallflower hawksbeard. Annual, taprooted, rosetted, 1–stemmed at base, ascending to erect, in range 28—75 cm tall; shoot with basal leaves and cauline leaves, having stalked glandular hairs, lower plant somewhat viscid; latex milky.
Stem cylindric, to 3 mm diameter, lower stem with some hispid hairs and stalked glandular hairs.
Leaves helically alternate, simple, petiolate (basal and lower cauline leaves) and sessile and clasping (upper cauline leaves), without stipules; petiole of basal leaves to 40 mm long decreasing upward, indistinct from blade, winged with wing to 1 mm wide, lower side glandular–hairy; blade oblanceolate (basal leaves) to narrowly lanceolate (upper cauline leaves), to 100 × 30 mm, tapered to long–tapered at base (basal leaves) to having ascending, truncate to cordate basal lobes (upper cauline leaves), broadly dentate on margins, acute at tip, pinnately veined with midrib sunken on upper surface and raised on lower surface, midrib white, especially lower surface glandular–hairy.
Inflorescence heads, terminal, in panicle having open, cymelike array of heads (solitary head on short plants), array ± flat–topped, axis of principal branches ascending with internodes to 130 mm long, branchlets with 1—3 heads, forks 45—60° with solitary head on each ultimate branchlet, head ligulate, of 15—25(—30) flowers, head ca. 3 mm across, flowers exserted 1.5—2.5 mm from involucre, mostly glabrous and short glandular–hairy, the hairs with small heads aging red; bract subtending principal branch linear, to 11 × 1.2 mm decreasing upward, glabrous or sparsely short–ciliate on margins with glandular hairs near base of bract; bracts at base of head (calyculus) 5—7, appressed, ovate to broadly lanceolate, 1.2—2.4 mm long, green, ± keeled with membranous margins, glabrous; involucre cylindric, 8.5—10 × 2—3 mm, phyllaries 10—14 in 2 series, subequal, lanceolate, 8—9 mm long, outer phyllaries strongly keeled and green with membranous margins, inner phyllaries lighter, outer surfaces glabrous except with short hairs at tip; receptacle flat, lacking bractlets (paleae), glabrous.
Flower bisexual, bilateral, ca. 1 mm across; calyx (pappus) of many very fine capillary bristles firmly attached to top of ovary, 4—5 mm long, silky white; corolla 5–toothed, 9—11 mm long; tube cylindric, 3.5—4.3 × 0.3 mm, white, short–hairy above midpoint; throat light yellow; limb linear, 5.5—7 × 1 mm, light yellow, teeth triangular, to 0.7 mm long; stamens 5, fused to top of corolla tube; filaments 1.1—1.2 mm long, yellowish; anthers fused into cylinder surrounding style, 2 mm long with triangular appendage at tip, dark green, with linear tails 0.3—0.35 mm long, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen yellow; pistil 1; ovary inferior, cylindric, at anthesis 0.7—1.2 × 0.3—0.35 mm, light green, glabrous, 1–chambered with 1 ovule; style 8—8.5 mm long, pale yellow, 2–branched, minutely barbed above anthers, the branches initially ascending and exserted 1.5 mm above anthers, hemicylindric, ca. 0.8 mm long, later arching–spreading, dark green, rounded at tip.
Fruit cypselae (achenes), the head with spreading pappus appearing funnel–shaped and 15 mm across, cypselae in range somewhat dimorphic in each head, ± cylindric, 4—5.2 mm long, tannish to light brown, some nearly smooth and other fine–ribbed with papillae along to 20 ribs, recessed at base, tapered to truncate top (no beak); pappus bristles fine and ca. 4—5 mm long, persistent.
A. C. Gibson