CREPIS SANCTA

Family:- COMPOSITAE/Sect. PTEROTHECA

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- Hieracium sanctum, Lagoseris sancta, Pterotheca sancta.

Meaning:- Crepis (Gr) A name used by Greek philosopher Theophrastus.

Sancta (L) Holy, sacred, chaste.

General description:- Pubescent annuals with slender roots

Stems:-

1) 10-40 cm, many.

Leaves:-

1) With short, yellow, simple eglandular hairs, or subglabrous.

2) Basal, 1-20 x 0·5-4 cm, obovate, oblanceolate or spathulate, obtuse to acute,

denticulate, runcinate-pinnatifid or lyrate.

3) Cauline, few, linear or bract-like.

Flowers:-

1) Receptacle, with long white rigid hairs, subtending the florets.

2) Involucre 6-11 x 4-9 mm.

3) Outer bracts lanceolate, with conspicuous pale margin, 1/8-1/3 as long as the

inner.

4) Inner bracts, linear-lanceolate, acute; all more or less tomentose and with dark or

pale, simple eglandular hairs, with or without glandular hairs, or glabrous.

5) Ligules, yellow to deep yellow.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes of 3 kinds:

a) outermost narrowly fusiform, sometimes somewhat compressed (sometimes

absent).

b) intermediate fusiform, spinulose.

c) inner fusiform, smooth.

Key features:-

1) Outer phyllaries up to a 1/3 as long as the inner.

2) Receptacle with rigid hairs subtending the florets.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Coastal habitats, dry grassland, open shrubby vegetation, fallow fields,

olive groves. 0-1500 m.

Distribution:- Throughout Greece, C & E Mediterranean area, widespread in SW

Asia. On Crete fairly widespread but mainly central and to the west.

Flowering time:- Mar-June.

Photos by:- Zacharias Angourakis