Family |
Asteraceae
Crepis robertioides
Boiss.
Leb. Syr.
Crepis robertioides Boiss.
(First published in Diagn. Pl. Orient. 11: 59 (1849); Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3; 1970)
Description
Life-form & habit : Perennial hemicryptophyte to low chamaephyte; stems ascending to erect, often several from a woody base, 15–40 cm tall, sparsely to densely pubescent.
Leaves : Basal leaves in a loose rosette, oblanceolate to oblong, entire to sinuate-dentate or weakly pinnatifid; cauline leaves smaller, alternate, sessile to shortly clasping; surfaces green to grey-green, sparsely hairy.
Inflorescence & flowers : Capitula solitary or few, borne on slender peduncles; involucre cylindrical to campanulate, with narrow bracts; florets all ligulate, yellow.
Fruit : Achenes narrow, ribbed, slightly attenuate at apex, with a pappus of white bristles.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology : Flowers from May to July; fruiting from June to August.
Habitat & elevation : Rocky limestone slopes, montane grasslands and open highland habitats; mainly 1200–2200 m.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution : Local in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria; in Lebanon mainly in montane to high-montane limestone habitats.
Native range : Lebanon-Syria.
Additional notes
Conservation notes : Assessed as Endangered (EN) according to IUCN criteria; a narrow Levantine endemic threatened by habitat degradation and disturbance of montane habitats.
Diagnostic remarks : Distinguished from related Crepis species by its perennial habit, narrow montane range and relatively few-headed inflorescence; close to other eastern Mediterranean perennial Crepis but separable by its woody-based habit and local endemic distribution.