Crepis L.

Herbs, annual, biennial or perennial; stems pubescent or glabrous, rhizomatous or with woody roots, leafy. Radical leaves usually rosulate, many or few, oblanceolate, obtuse or acute, mucronate, dentate or runcinate-pinnatifid; cauline leaves numerous or few; lower similar to radical leaves. Heads large, medium or small, many or few flowered. Involucral bracts 2 - 3 seriate, glabrous or pubescent, selose or hirsute; outer bracts ovate-lanceolate; inner bracts lanceolate. Ligules yellow, orange, pink or tinged reddish, 5-toothed. Stamens 5, appendaged; anther lube yellow, greenish, white or pink, base sagittate. Style branches filiform, yellow or green stigma bifid. Achenes monomorphic, beakless or beaked or dimorphic with marginal compressed and the inner terete, 10 - 35 ribbed or striate. Pappus dull white or yellowish, 1-many seriate.

Distributed in Asia, S. Europe, M. Europe, America and Australia, confined to tropical, subtropical, temperate to alpine regions; ca 200 species, 9 in India.

Literature. BABCOCK, E.B. & CAMERON, D. (1934). Chromosomes Phylogeny in Crepis II. Univ. Calif. Publ. Agr. Sci. 6: 287-324. BABCOCK, E.B. (1947). The genus Crepis part. 2. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 21: 1-199. BABCOCK, E.B. (1947). the genus Crepis Part. 2. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 22: 199-1030.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Perennial, rhizomatous herbs; stems usually 1-2; leaves blade-like

3. Crepis kashmirica

b. Annual, biennial or perennial, non rhizomatous or rhizomatous herbs; stems 1-many; leaves not as above

2

2a. Achenes mostly trimorphic, rarely monomorphic, somewhat winged

3

b. Achenes monomorphic or dimorphic, not winged

4

3a. Radical leaves usually cntire or sparsely toothed at margina, oblanccolate or lanccolate

2. Crepis dachigamensis

b. Radical leaves usually runcinate-pinnatifid or lyrate, spathulate, rarely oblanceolate

7. Crepis sancta

4a. Achenes monomorphic; corolla 4-10 mm long

5

b. Achenes dimorphic; corolla 5-12 mm long

8

5a. Annual or biennial herbs; achenes 2-4 mm long

1. Crepis capillaris

b. Perennial herbs; achenes 4-8 mm long

6

6a. Plants glabrous with elongated taproot; heads 5-15 flowered; pappus yellowish or white

5. Crepis naniforma

b. Plants pubescent with rhizomatous rootstock; heads 20-45 flowered; pappus white

7

7a. Outer involucral bracts 5-10; florets upto 30; heads 8-11 x 2.5-3 mm

9. Crepis tibetica

b. Outer involucral bracts 5-7; florets more than 30; heads 7-9 x 2-3 mm

4. Crepis multicaulis

8a. Stems few; marginal achenes 5-6 mm long, attenuate at apex; pappus 3-5 mm long

6. Crepis pulchra

b. Stems many; marginal achenes 5-8 mm long, compressed with a coarse beak; pappus 5-6 mm long

8. Crepis thomsonii

List of Lower Taxa