1 / 12

Crepis, Genus, biennis, Species,

Genus & species

rough Hawk's-beard

Asteraceae Europe and western Asia

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Crepis biennis is a biennial of the daisy family, forming a flat basal rosette in its first year and an erect, branched flowering stem 1-4 feet (30-120 cm) tall in its second. The stems are ribbed, roughly hairy toward the base, and branch in the upper part. Basal leaves are 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) long, deeply lobed to runcinate with a rough, bristly surface; the stem leaves are smaller and clasp the stem with pointed basal lobes. Yellow flower heads, each 0.8-1.4 inches (20-35 mm) across and made up entirely of strap-shaped ray florets, open in loose branched clusters from June to July. Each head produces many narrow achenes topped with a white pappus that carries the seed on the wind. After seeding, the plant dies. It grows quickly once the rosette bolts, but the whole plant is short-lived and depends on regular seeding to keep a population going. Lower leaves wither as flowering proceeds.

Native Range

Native to much of Europe and extending into western Asia, and naturalised in some other regions. Grows in hay meadows, rough grassland, road verges, and field margins on moist, neutral to calcareous soils, mainly in lowlands and lower hills.

Suggested Uses

Used in wildflower meadows, naturalistic grassland, and conservation seed mixes on neutral to calcareous soils. Sown or allowed to self-seed at low density among grasses, where it adds summer height of 1-4 feet (30-120 cm). Its short life and free seeding make it unsuited to formal borders.

How to Identify

Recognised by the rough, bristly, deeply lobed basal leaves and the branched stems carrying many yellow, strap-flowered heads 0.8-1.4 inches (20-35 mm) across. Stem leaves clasp the stem with arrow-shaped basal lobes. Distinguished from Crepis capillaris by its larger size and larger heads, and from hawkbits and Hieracium species by the soft white pappus and the branched, leafy stem.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 4'

Width/Spread8" - 1'4"

Colors

Flower Colors

yellow

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Flowers: June–July

Summer

Flowers mainly from June to July, with some heads opening into August in cooler seasons. Heads open in the morning and close by afternoon. The flowering period of an individual plant lasts about 4-6 weeks. Timing shifts later at higher elevations and in northern parts of the range.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.8 (Neutral to alkaline)

3579

Soil Types

loam clay chalk

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to light shade on moist, fertile, neutral to alkaline soils. As a biennial it completes its life cycle over two seasons and is kept in cultivation only by letting seed fall. The rosette overwinters and tolerates frost without protection. Dense competing vegetation suppresses seedling establishment. Plants on dry, poor soils stay smaller and flower less. It can self-seed freely on disturbed ground and may appear in unintended places.

Pruning

Remove spent flowering stems after seeding if self-sown plants are not wanted, which prevents widespread seeding. No other pruning is required. Cutting the stem before seed sets ends the plant, as it does not regrow after flowering.