Crepis vesicaria aka Crepis Dandelion

Crepis vesicaria is in Asteraceae, the daisy family. Its common name is beaked hawksbeard. Its native range spans Macaronesia and western and central Europe. It also spans the Mediterranean. Records list Turkey and parts of North Africa. These parts include Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. The reported range also includes Madeira. The RHS lists it as non-native in Britain and Ireland. Kew places it in the temperate climate zone.

This herb grows about 2.6 feet (0.8 metres) tall. Plants For A Future says most plants are biennial. This means they live for two years. Some are annuals and live for one year. Others are perennials and live for more than two years. Kew lists its life form as perennial. These accounts show that its life span can vary. Plants For A Future treats it as a broad species group. Some treatments split this group into several subspecies. The supplied species records give no mature width. They give no species-level facts on leaves, stems, or flower colour.

Plants For A Future gives May through July as flowering months. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects pollinate the flowers. Seeds ripen from June through August, while plants also flower. The source suggests raising new plants from seed. It suggests sowing outdoors where the plants will grow. Sow in spring, or late summer once seeds ripen. The source calls this a suggestion, not tested practice for this species.

In the wild, it grows by roads and on walls. It also grows on railway banks and ground people have disturbed. It often grows in soils rich in lime. Reported sites reach about 492 feet (150 metres) above sea level. It accepts sand, loam, and clay soils. Soil can be mildly acid through to strongly alkaline. It grows in full sun or part shade. It suits dry or moist soil. Plants For A Future lists garden beds as sites. It also lists walls that face several ways. The evidence gives no cold-hardiness rating. It gives no details on pests or diseases.

The leaves have a small use as food. People eat them raw in salads, but they taste bitter. Plants For A Future rates their food value as low. It reports no known hazards. Yet it gives no safety assessment for pets. It lists no uses as medicine or other practical uses. The same source does not flag weed potential.