Striped Hawksbeard

Crepis zacintha is recognized by its annual habit, lyrate-pinnatifid leaves mostly in rosettes, cymiform-dichotomous branching, single heads in axils of branches, indurate and bent phyllaries, and dimorphic, angular cypselae. Because of its unique morphology, it sometimes has been assigned to a separate, monotypic genus (Zacintha Miller).

Annuals, 20–30 cm (taproots shallow). Stems 1–3, erect, simple or dichotomously branched proximally or distally, hispid proximally, glabrous distally. Leaves basal and cauline; petiolate; blades lyrate,10–20 × 3–4 cm, pinnately lobed (lateral lobes remote, triangular, terminal lobes relatively large, ovate or truncate), apices obtuse, faces hispid (hairs pale, relatively short). Heads borne singly (sessile in axils of branches). Calyculi of 5, lanceolate, glabrous or proximally tomentulose bractlets 3–6 mm. Involucres cylindric, 5–7 × 3–7 mm. Phyllaries 10, lanceolate (proximal ¹/2 of each becoming indurate, swollen and angular in fruit, enclosing and partially fused to cypsela, margins green), apices bent at right angles (ciliate), abaxial faces basally tomentulose, adaxial glabrous. Florets ca. 30; corollas yellow, deep purplish red abaxially, 7 mm. Cypselae (dimorphic) yellowish, ribs 10 (smooth), outer strongly compressed and triangular, obconic, 2–2.5 mm, strongly constricted proximally, apices truncate, inner obconic, ca. 2.5 mm, tapered proximally, apices constricted; pappi white (fine, soft), 1.5 mm. 2n = 6.

Lapsana zacintha Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 811. 1753; Rhagadiolus zacintha (Linnaeus) Allioni; Zacintha verrucosa Gaertner

Crepis zacintha, the striped hawksbeard, is a plant species native to southern Europe (Greece, Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, etc.) but now naturalized on roadsides and other disturbed sites in Texas, Israel, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom.

Crepis zacintha is an annual herb up to 30 cm (12 inches) tall, often branching above ground. Heads are solitary in the axils of branches. Each head has up to 30 ray florets, yellow with a reddish tinge on the back. There are no disc florets.