Crepis

Crepis 

a genus of plants of the family Compositae. The plants are perennial, biennial, or annual tomentose or, less frequently, naked herbs. The stem is 5–150 cm high and bears alternate leaves, which are either dentate, pinnatipartite, pinnatisect, or entire. Infrequently the stem is leafless, and there is only a rosette of leaves at the root. The large or small heads are usually gathered into a corymbose or, less commonly, racemose inflorescence. Sometimes one to five heads are borne by the stem. The involucre is bell-shaped or cylindrical, and the flowers are ligulate, bisexual, and yellow. The achenes have pappus, which is usually white.

There are more than 200 species of Crepis, distributed in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. The USSR has 52 species, the most common of which are C. tectorum and C. sibirica. C. tectorum, which is distinguished by small heads, grows among crops and along roads and dwellings. C. sibirica, which has only a few large heads, grows in sparse forests, in meadows, and in mountainous regions with elevations to 2,900 m above sea level. Both species are eaten by farm animals.