Bristly Hawksbeard

Crepis setosa
Family: 
Asteraceae
Life Cycle: 
Annual
Plant status: 
Weed
Habit: 
Rosettes typically form throughout early spring and summer. Plants often act as biennials with seeds germinating and forming rosettes at almost any time of year. Rosettes can grow up to 16 inches in diameter. Foliage is deeply lobed near the leaf base, and deltoid in shape near the leaf tip. Sparsely leafed stems emerge from rosettes. Plants grow 1 to 2 feet in height. Stems of bristly hawksbeard are very hairy or bristly as the name would imply.
Flowers: 
Flowers emerge in mid to late summer. Flower buds and stems are very bristly or hairy. Flower heads are composed of yellow ray flowers and grow to about 1 inch in diameter.
Favorable environments: 
Field
Favorable environment notes: 
Plants are common in nurseries, lawns, landscapes, agricultural fields, and disturbed sites.
Dissemination: 
Bristly hawksbeard reproduces by seed. Wind aids in dispersal. Very little dormancy in seeds and they will germinate soon after dispersal if conditions are favorable.
Of interest: 
Bristly hawksbeard, Crepis setosa is very similar in appearance to Smooth hawksbeard, Crepis capillaris. A main distinguishing factor between the two weeds is the relative degree of pubescense on each. Both have hairiness, or pubescence, on stems and leaves, but if compared, bristly hawksbeard would be noticeably more hairy.