Limestone Hawksbeard

Crepis intermedia is a somewhat unnatural group of polyploid apomicts that combines the features of multiple species, including C. acuminata, C. pleurocarpa, C. modocensis, and C. atribarba (E. B. Babcock 1947). The plants are usually over 25 cm, with leaves deeply pinnately lobed (gray-tomentose, cleft about halfway to midribs), with acuminate apices, and more or less flat-topped arrays of heads. The leaves vary greatly in size and lobing and are always gray-tomentose. The number of heads per plant is usually more than 20.

Perennials, 25–60 cm (taproots stout or slender, caudices swollen, simple or branched, covered with brown leaf bases). Stems 1–2, erect, branched (proximal branches elongate, branched distally), ± tomentose-canescent. Leaves basal and cauline; petiolate (petiole bases clasping); blades elliptic-lanceolate, 10–40 × 2–9 cm, margins pinnately lobed (lobes remote or close, entire or dentate), apices acute or acuminate, faces densely or sparsely gray-tomentose. Heads (10–)20–60, in ± flat-topped, compound, corymbiform or paniculiform arrays. Calyculi of 6–8, narrowly triangular, tomentulose bractlets 2–4 mm. Involucres narrowly cylindric, 10–16 × 3–5 mm. Phyllaries 7–10, (medially green) lanceolate, 10–13 mm (margins scarious), apices acute, abaxial faces ± tomentulose, sometimes with greenish eglandular setae, adaxial with fine hairs. Florets 7–12; corollas yellow, 14–30 mm. Cypselae yellow or golden brown, subcylindric, 6–9 mm, tapered distally, ribs 10–12 (smooth); pappi dusky white, 7–10 mm. 2n = 33, 44, 55, 88.

Crepis acuminata Nuttall var. intermedia (A. Gray) Jepson

Crepis intermedia is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name limestone hawksbeard. It is native to the Pacific Northwest, Columbia Plateau, Great Plains and Southwestern regions of western North America.

Crepis intermedia grows in many types of open and forested habitat. It is a perennial herb growing an erect, multibranched stem from a thick taproot, reaching up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) in height. It has woolly green herbage. The leaves are lined with triangular lobes and the lowest leaves approach 40 centimeters (16 inches) long. The inflorescence is an open array of many ligulate flower heads, each with woolly phyllaries and several yellow ray florets but no disc florets. The fruit is a narrow, ribbed achene just under a centimeter long.