[11][12][13] Picris is from the Greek picros meaning 'bitter', in reference to the bitter taste of some species in the genus.

[14][15] Erect annual to perennial taprooted herbs, mostly branching, stem and leaves bearing stiff bristly hairs, with rather large, usually corymbose or paniculate heads of yellow flowers.

[1] In 1913, Britton and Brown proposed P. asplenioides as the type species for the genus.

[15] Subsequently, in 1930, Hitchcock and Green alternatively proposed P. hieracioides as the type species.

[18] In 1794, the German botanist Conrad Moench described the genus Medicusia and the species M. aspera.