Flora of New Zealand Series

dandelion

Perennial rosette herb. Lvs all basal, linear-oblanceolate to obovate, runcinate-pinnatifid to not lobed, toothed, glabrous or with sparse short multicellular hairs especially on midrib above, 5-30-(60) × 1-10-(12) cm; terminal lobe triangular to deltoid, acute or obtuse, truncate or hastate at base; lateral lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, usually recurved, often toothed, especially on distal margin; petiole and proximal part of midrib hollow. Scape stout, hollow, glabrous or cobwebby, 3-35-(60) cm tall. Capitula 3-5 cm diam. Involucral bracts glabrous; outer bracts narrowly obovate, attenuate, dull green or reddish, strongly reflexed to recurved at flowering and fruiting, with margins not scarious; inner bracts narrowly triangular to linear, acute, green, erect, with scarious margins at least at base. Florets golden yellow. Achene body cream to greenish brown, ribbed, clavate, 2.5-3.5 mm long; ribs each with 3-(5) teeth on distal ⅓, the distal teeth longest; cone tapering, 0.5-1 mm long, concolorous with body; beak usually white to cream, rarely dark, slender, 7-10 mm long. Pappus white, 5-7 mm long.

N.; S.; St.; K., Ch., C.

Europe 1852

Waste land, tracks and roadsides, railway land, lawns, gardens, pasture, grassland, river flats.

A broad circumscription of T. officinale is adopted here to include probably several microspp. of sect. Taraxacum (referred to in some works as sect. Vulgaria Dahlst.). As these are difficult to identify due to seasonal and environmental plasticity no attempt is made here to distinguish them further.

T. officinale is a common weed of lawns and cultivated land. Plants can sprout from dislodged pieces of root. T. officinale has also been referred to in N.Z. as T. dens-leonis and as Leontodon taraxacum.