Derivation: Greek krepis, literally a foundation or boot, used by Theophrastus as a name for Picris echioides.

Synonymy: Hostia Moench, Suppl. Meth. 221 (1802); Melitella Sommier, Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital. n.s. 14:497 (1907).

Common name: Hawksbeards.

Description:
Annual and biennial herbs with a tap root; basal leaves sinuate-pinnatifid, forming a rosette; cauline leaves alternate, sessile, more or less auriculate, flat.

Capitula terminal, pedunculate in loose particles or sessile at ground level, homogamous; involucre cylindrical, 3-seriate; bracts herbaceous with scarious margins, lanceolate to linear, the 2 inner series subequal, the outer series shorter; receptacle flat, naked or hairy, pitted; florets all bisexual, fertile, ligulate; ligules linear to oblong, yellow; corolla tube cylindrical, often pubescent; anthers sagittate to tailed at the base, with obtuse to shortly ovate apical appendages; style branches narrowly linear, terete, truncate or tapered, densely papillose.

Achenes terete, ribbed, sometimes all achenes or only the inner ones with filiform beaks; pappus 1-3-seriate, of fine barbellate bristles, free, persistent or caducous.

Distribution:  About 200 species in the Northern Hemisphere and Africa; about 6 naturalised in Australia. (E. B. Babcock (1947) Univ. Calif Publ. Bot. 22).

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Capitula sessile among the leaf bases; aerial stems absent	C. pusilla 4.
1. Capitula pedunculate in paniculate inflorescences on aerial stems
2. Achenes all beakless
3. Involucres green, pubescent, with thin bracts becoming reflexed in fruit; achenes 1.5-2.5 mm long	C. capillaris 1.
3. Involucres grey-tomentose, becoming hardened and urceolate in fruit; achenes 3-4 mm long	C. dioscoridis 2.
2. Achenes all with filiform beaks or the marginal ones hardly beaked
4. Capitula in groups of 2 or 3 terminating divaricate branches; pappus of mature achenes completely exserted from the involucre	C. foetida 3.
4. Capitula numerous in a leafless corymbose panicle; pappus of mature achenes partly exserted	C. vesicaria 5.

Author: Not yet available