phyllaries, and many-ribbed "seeds" (achenes), having the pappus of numerous 

 soft, white bristles. It is a perennial, milky juiced herb, 1 to 2 1 / feet high. 



Tapertip hawksbeard is the most common member of the genus and occurs in 

 the foothills and mountains from British Columbia and Alberta to Colorado 

 and California. It most commonly grows in well-drained, frequently stony soils 

 on open slopes and hillsides in the ponderosa pine, pinon-juniper, and sagebrush 

 belts. Commonly associated plants are eriogoriums, lupines, Sandberg blue- 

 grass, wheatgrasses, and arrowleaf balsamroot. 



Although widespread, tapertip hawksbeard is seldom abundant and rarely pro- 

 vides a large part of the ground cover or forage. It is most palatable in the 

 spring and early summer before the herbage matures and dries. Normally it is 

 of low palatability to horses, fair for cattle, and good to excellent for sheep. 

 In fact, overgrazing by sheep over a period of years has practically eliminated 

 it from many western ranges. 



Both the common name, tapertip hawksbeard, and the specific name, 

 acuminata, refer to the conspicuously prolonged character of the leaves. 



Gray hawksbeard (C. interme' dia) should be mentioned with tapertip hawks- 

 beard, to which it is so closely related that it is sometimes considered a variety. 

 The main distinguishing feature between the two is the gray covering of fine 

 soft hairs which clothes the herbage of the former and accounts for its common 

 name, gray hawksbeard. It inhabits much the same range and similar condi- 

 tions of soil and moisture as does tapertip hawksbeard. Furthermore, grazing 

 animals apparently do not show a preference in their use of these two species. 



HAWKSBEARDS (Cre'pis spp.) 



The 20 or more species of hawksbeards in the West vary considerably in height 

 and in the size and shape of the leaves and the hairy character of their 

 herbage, but, in general, the more common and widely distributed species are 

 much alike. As a genus, they are most easily distinguished from the dande- 

 lions (Leontodon spp.) and mountain-dandelions (Agoseris spp.) by their 

 branched and leafy stems. The hawksbeards differ from the hawkweeds 

 (Hieracium spp.) chiefly in that the latter are usually rough-hairy, more 

 slender-stemmed, and with darker, somewhat brownish-colored pappus bristles. 

 The common name, hawksbeard, refers to a fancied resemblance of the copious 

 hairs of the "seed" pappus to the bristles at the side of a hawk's beak. 



Several species deserve mention, notably C. nana, C. occidentals, C. monticola>, 

 and C. rwnoinata. These species do not, as yet, have well-established English 

 names. C. nana, syn. Youngia nana, is unusual in the genus in that it is only 

 1 to 4 inches in height and tufted. Although rare, small, and confined to high 

 altitudes in the Western States, there is reason to believe that it may be a 

 valuable feed for game in Canada and Alaska. C. ocoidentalis is perhaps the 

 most common species in the mountains of California ; it has practically the same 

 wide range as C. intermedia but extends into Arizona. It is similar to gray 

 hawksbeard in color and, in fact, is called gray hawksbeard by some authors 

 but, under field conditions, C. occidentalis is about half as tall as C. intermedia 

 and deeper gray in color. C. monticola, a somewhat coarse species, is appar- 

 ently limited to the mountains of northern California and southern Oregon. 

 It is distinct from the other members of the genus, because the herbage is 

 covered with long, brown, and glandular-bristly hairs. C. runcinata, common 

 in the mountain valleys of the Rockies, differs from the other common species 

 in having few, frequently entire, smooth leaves, and slender stems, bearing 

 relatively few flowers. It is found in moist places, or even in standing water. 



From a range use standpoint, the hawksbeards, as a group, resemble taper- 

 tip hawksbeard, occurring on open sites on well-drained soils, in the foothill 

 and mountain areas. Sheep are fond of practically all species to the point of 

 overgrazing. 



Dr. E. B. Babcock, professor of genetics at the University of California, has 

 shown that this genus consists of about 250 species, and is a natural group 

 with its center of origin in south central Asia. 12 



1 Babcock, E. B., and Navashin, M. THE GENUS CREPIS. Bibliog. Genetica 6: 1-90, 

 illus. 1930. 



2 Babcock, E. B., and Cameron, D. R. CHROMOSOMES AND PHYLOGENY IN CREPIS. 



XI, THE RELATIONSHIPS OF ONE HUNDRED EIGHT SPECIES. Calif. UniV. Pubs., Agr. ScL 6 



(11) : 287-324, illus. 1934. 



