Taraxacum officinale (agg.)   Common Dandelion CCC D N

Traxacum officinale whole Traxacum officinale close

Is it a dahlia? Is it a sunflower? Close-up, a dandelion flower could be confused with these and it's actually quite an impressive weed when in full flower covering a roadside verge with yellow.

Taraxacum is an apomictic genus which lead to dozens of identifiable micro-species. However since a mischievous botanical friend sent off flowers and leaves to an expert asking for identification I've had my doubts. He was given two micro-species as answers but we know he took them from the same plant. Identifiable these micro-species may be, but not by me and not even by some experts in the field it seems.

This is one of the few occasions I depart from the detail contained in Stace as he doesn't describe a T. officinale in his book but attempts to summarise the species with its 229 micro members.

T. officinale is found throughout in the British Isles.

Taraxacum officinale

Taraxacum officinale Dandelion

Cheshire roadside verge, 18th April 2010

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Taraxacum officinale

LHS: Cheshire verge 18th April 2010 RHS: Verge outside our house, 26th May 2001

Added on 28th September 2004, amended 5th February 2005, updated 18th April 2010, updated 13th February 2012, updated 12th Nov 2014