Crepis monticola
Mountain hawk's beard
(c) John Game, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Crepis monticola (Mountain hawk's beard) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by dense long glandular hairs throughout and very long bracts.
Mountain hawk's beard is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Coast Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, and Mount Hamilton Range in conifer forest and open woodland at elevations of 700 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces pale yellow to white flowers in loose clusters with 4 to 20 heads. Growing with slender stems 10 to 35 centimeters tall, densely covered in long, coarse hairs and glandular bristles, it emerges from a deep taproot. Its leaves range from 10 to 25 centimeters long, elliptic to oblanceolate, with pinnately lobed edges and lanceolate teeth, covered in soft, glandular hairs. The fruit is a reddish-brown, strongly ribbed structure 5.5 to 9 millimeters long with a creamy white pappus.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species; distinguished by dense long glandular hairs throughout and very long bracts
Habitat and range
Habitat: Conifer forest, open woodland
Elevation: 700-2400 m
Outside California: to Oregon
Bloom period
Crepis monticola blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Hypochaeris: Hypochaeris has mostly leafless stems with tiny bracts; Crepis has well-developed leaves up the stem.; vs Taraxacum: Taraxacum has all leaves basal with leafless stems; Crepis has leaves ascending the branched stem.; vs Agoseris: Agoseris has leafless flower stems from basal rosettes; Crepis has leafy branched stems.; vs Sonchus: Sonchus has clasping stem leaves with spiny margins; Crepis leaves are typically not clasping or spiny.; vs Helminthotheca: Helminthotheca has bristly leaves and bracts; Crepis typically lacks the dense bristly covering.
Frequently asked questions
Is Crepis monticola native to California?
Yes. Crepis monticola is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Crepis monticola bloom?
Crepis monticola blooms May-Jul.
What plant family does Crepis monticola belong to?
Crepis monticola is in the Asteraceae family, genus Crepis.
What habitat does Crepis monticola grow in?
Crepis monticola grows in Conifer forest, open woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.