Crepis occidentalis subsp. occidentalis

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Western hawksbeard is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada, southern Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, and Modoc Plateau in dry rocky hillsides and sagebrush scrub at elevations of 1,000 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces yellow flowers in heads 10 to 30 millimeters long with 18 to 30 individual florets. Growing with slender stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall that are distinctively stalked-glandular, it has an upright, delicate form. Its leaves are 10 to 20 centimeters long, sharply dentate to pinnately lobed with glandular surfaces and deeply cut edges. The fruit develops a distinctive golden brown color, adding visual interest to the plant's appearance.

Habitat: dry rocky hillsides, sagebrush scrub

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1000-2200 m

Bioregions: CaRH, SNH, SnBr, MP

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.