Taraxacum

• Authority

  Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

• Family

  Asteraceae

• Scientific Name

  Taraxacum

• Description

  Genus Description - Fls all ligulate and perfect, yellow, mostly numerous; invol bracts biseriate, the outer usually shorter than the inner and often reflexed; achenes columnar or thickly fusiform, terete or 4–5-angled, longitudinally sulcate or ribbed, ordinarily muricate or tuberculate at least above, commonly topped by a smooth, conic or pyramidal cusp that tapers to a slender beak, or rarely beakless; pappus of numerous white capillary bristles; taprooted, lactiferous, perennial, scapose herbs, the lvs all basal and rosulate, entire to pinnatifid or subbipinnatifid. 60, mostly N. Temp. Spp. confluent through polyploidy and apomixis. Taxonomy and nomenclature in utter confusion. We here define spp. broadly and follow traditional nomenclature.

• Common Names

  dandelion