About Crepis acuminata Nutt.
Crepis acuminata Nutt. is a perennial herb that grows from a taproot, producing a woolly, branching stem that reaches up to approximately 70 centimeters (28 inches) tall. Its gray-green leaves measure 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 15 and 1/2 inches) long and are cut into many triangular, pointed lobes. The longest leaves, which grow near the base of the plant, can reach 40 centimeters (16 inches) in length. The inflorescence forms an open array of flower heads at the top of the stem branches. Each of the many flower heads is about 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters (5/8 to 1 inch) wide, and is enveloped in phyllaries that may be smooth or hairy. Each flower head opens to display a cluster of up to 10 yellow ray florets, with no disc florets present. The fruit is a narrow achene 7 or 8 millimeters (9/32 or 5/16 inch) long, tipped with a pappus made up of white, hairlike bristles. This species is native to the region extending from eastern Washington and eastern California to central Montana, Colorado, and northern New Mexico. It grows in dry, open areas within sagebrush habitats and coniferous forests.
