Crepis setosa

Bristly hawksbeard

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Bristly hawksbeard is a naturalized annual found in northern Coast Ranges in openings of mixed-conifer forest and disturbed areas at elevations of 50 to 500 meters. Flowering from May to November, this plant produces yellow flowers with occasional red tones in heads 5 to 30 clustered in cyme-like arrangements. Growing with stout stems 20 to 80 centimeters tall, often reddish and covered in spreading coarse hairs, it has a shallow taproot and fibrous root system. Its basal leaves are sagittate with a large terminal lobe and smaller recurved lateral lobes, while upper stem leaves become progressively narrower and sharply lobed. The fruit is a reddish-brown seed 3 to 5 millimeters long with a short beak and fine, soft white pappus.

Habitat: Openings in mixed-conifer forest, disturbed areas

Bloom period: May-Nov

Elevation: 50-500 m

Bioregions: NCoRO

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