Crepis

Crepis, commonly known in some parts of the world as hawksbeard or hawk's-beard (but not to be confused with the related genus Hieracium with a similar common name), is a genus of annual and perennial flowering plants of the family Asteraceae superficially resembling the dandelion, the most conspicuous difference being that Crepis usually has branching scapes with multiple heads (though solitary heads can occur). The genus name Crepis derives from the Greek krepis, meaning "slipper" or "sandal", possibly in reference to the shape of the fruit.[1]

This article is about the genus of plant. For the bryozoan genus, see Crepis (bryozoan).

Crepis
Crepis jacquinii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Asterales
Family:
Asteraceae
Tribe:
Cichorieae
Genus:
Crepis

Species

about 200, see text

The genus is distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and Africa,[2] and several plants are known as introduced species practically worldwide.[1] The center of diversity is in the Mediterranean.[2]

Ecology

Crepis species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the broad-barred white moth. The fly Tephritis formosa is known to attack the capitula of this plant.[3]

Seeds of Crepis species are an important food source for some bird species.[4]

Uses

In Crete, Greece the leaves of Crepis commutata which are called glykosyrida (γλυκοσυρίδα) are eaten raw, boiled, steamed or browned in salads. Another two species on the same island, Crepis vesicaria, called kokkinogoula (κοκκινογούλα), lekanida (λεκανίδα) or prikousa (πρικούσα) and a local variety called maryies (μαργιές) or pikrouses (πικρούσες) have both its leaves and tender shoots eaten boiled by the locals.

Secondary metabolites

The genus Crepis is a rich source of costus lactone-type guaianolides,[5] a class of sesquiterpene lactones.

Phenolics found in Crepis include luteolin-type flavonoids and caffeoyl quinic acid derivatives such as chlorogenic acid and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid. Moreover, Crepis species contain the caffeoyl tartaric acid derivatives caffeoyl tartaric acid and cichoric acid.[6]

Diversity

There are about 200 species in the genus.[1][2]

Crepis tectorum
Crepis pyrenaica
Crepis aurea
Crepis flowers attracts bumblebees

Species include:

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References
  1. Crepis. Flora of North America.
  2. Enke N., Gemeinholzer B. (2008). "Babcock revisited: New insights into generic delimitation and character evolution in Crepis L. (Compositae: Cichorieae) from ITS and matK sequence data". Taxon. 57 (3): 756–68. doi:10.1002/tax.573008.
  3. White, I.M. (1984). Tephritid Flies (Diptera: Tephritidea). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 10 pt 5a. Royal Entomological Society of London. pp. 134 pp. ISBN 0901546682.
  4. D. L. Buckingham and W. J. Peach (2005). "The influence of livestock management on habitat quality for farmland birds". Animal Science. 81: 199–203. doi:10.1079/asc50700199.
  5. Zidorn, C. (2008). "Sesquiterpene lactones and their precursors as chemosystematic markers in the tribe Cichorieae of the Asteraceae". Phytochemistry. 69: 2270–2296. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2008.06.013. ISSN 0031-9422. PMID 18715600.
  6. Zidorn, C.; et al. (2008). "Phenolics as chemosystematic markers in and for the genus Crepis (Asteraceae, Cichorieae)". Scientia Pharmaceutica (Vienna, Austria). 76: 743–50. doi:10.3797/scipharm.0810-25. ISSN 0036-8709.
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