e-Key v3 - *Crepis
SANBI Flora Keys Logo
Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Asteraceae - Lactuceae - *Crepis L.

Description :

  • Annual or perennial herbs, glabrous or pubescent, acaulescent or caulescent, with milky latex
  • Leaves mostly rosulate, glabrous
  • Capitula ligulate, many-flowered, solitary, terminal or in lax corymbs
  • Involucre cylindric-campanulate; bracts in 2 distinct unequal rows
  • Receptacle flat, epaleate, pitted, shortly fimbrilliferous
  • Florets bisexual, fertile; corolla yellow, tube shorter than lamina, oblong, 5-toothed
  • Anthers sagittate, with oblong, apical appendage
  • Style linear, becoming terete and pilose above, with linear, obtuse glandular branches
  • Cypselas subterete or marginal ones compressed, many-ribbed, sometimes attenuate into apical beak
  • Pappus of scabrid-barbellate bristles
  • x = 3, 4, 5 (7, 8, 10, 11) (aneuploids, B-chromosomes)

Nomenclature:

  • *Crepis L.
    • Linnaeus: 805 (1753)
    • Linnaeus: 350 (1754)
    • Harvey: 530 (1865) under Anisoramphus
    • Oliver & Hiern: 448 (1877)
    • Hilliard: 633 (1977)
    • Pope: 209 (1992)
    • Bremer: 180 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 200, northern hemisphere, tropical and southern Africa
  • Southern Africa : Species 2: * Crepis capillaris (L.) Wallr. occurs as an introduced weed in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, whereas * C. hypochaeridea (DC.) Thell. is also found in the eastern parts of South Africa and Swaziland

References:

  • BREMER, K. 1994. Asteraceae , cladistics & classification . Timber Press, Portland, Oregon
  • HARVEY, W.H. 1865. Compositae . Flora capensis 3
  • HILLIARD, O.M. 1977. Compositae in Natal . University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg
  • LINNAEUS, C. VON. 1753. Species plantarum . Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • LINNAEUS, C. VON. 1754. Genera plantarum , edn 5. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • OLIVER, D & HIERN, W.P. 1877. Compositae . Flora of tropical Africa 3
  • POPE, G.V. 1992. 97. Compositae . Flora zambesiaca 6,1