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- ›Taraxacum
common dandelions
Taraxacum
Taraxacum () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribution, absent only from tropical and polar areas. Two of the most common species worldwide, T. officinale (the common dandelion) and T. erythrospermum (the red-seeded dandelion), are European species introduced into North America, where they are non native. Dandelions thrive in temperate regions and can be found in yards, gardens, sides of roads, among crops, and in many other habitats.
Like other members of the family Asteraceae, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a floret. In part due to their abundance, along with being a generalist species, dandelions are one of the most vital early spring nectar sources for a wide host of pollinators. Many Taraxacum species produce seeds asexually by apomixis, where the seeds are produced without pollination, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant.
60 branches of this group, most-observed first
common dandelion
speciesTaraxacum officinale
Taraxacum stenoglossum
speciesTaraxacum stenoglossum
Ekman's dandelion
speciesTaraxacum ekmanii
pectinate-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum pectinatiforme
beautiful-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum pulchrifolium
oblong-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum oblongatum
grassland dandelion
speciesTaraxacum dilatatum
green dandelion
speciesTaraxacum alatum
white-stalked dandelion
speciesTaraxacum leucopodum
few-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum ancistrolobum
pretty-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum hemicyclum
decumbent dandelion
speciesTaraxacum laticordatum
hairy-ribbed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum semiglobosum
diverse-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum planum
dull-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum undulatiflorum
leaden-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum piceatum
imbricate-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum exacutum
Selland's dandelion
speciesTaraxacum sellandii
purple-stalked dandelion
speciesTaraxacum subxanthostigma
Taraxacum copidophyllum
speciesTaraxacum copidophyllum
grey-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum pallidipes
regular-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum hepaticum
elongate-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum longisquameum
broad-stalked dandelion
speciesTaraxacum expallidiforme
bulbous-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum diastematicum
large-flowered dandelion
speciesTaraxacum macranthoides
incise-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum incisum
yellowish-green dandelion
speciesTaraxacum maculatum
orange-flowered dandelion
speciesTaraxacum croceiflorum
three-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum trilobatum
Taraxacum linearisquameum
speciesTaraxacum linearisquameum
yellow-styled dandelion
speciesTaraxacum leptodon
Large-lobed Dandelion
speciesTaraxacum latilobum
close-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum densilobum
toothed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum amplum
jagged-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum lacerifolium
winged dandelion
speciesTaraxacum ochrochlorum
dense-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum fasciatum
crowded-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum vastisectum
Taraxacum polyodon
speciesTaraxacum polyodon
twisted-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum aequilobum
Taraxacum subglaucescens
speciesTaraxacum subglaucescens
Taraxacum gentile
speciesTaraxacum gentile
reflexed-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum retroflexum
city dandelion
speciesTaraxacum interveniens
red-tipped dandelion
speciesTaraxacum intumescens
entire-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum cordatum
acute-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum acutifrons
prickly-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum horridifrons
erect-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum exsertiforme
dense-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum corynodes
large-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum lucidum
Taraxacum baeckiiforme
speciesTaraxacum baeckiiforme
pale-stalked dandelion
speciesTaraxacum laeticolor
reflexed-bracted dandelion
speciesTaraxacum valens
Taraxacum mediterraneum
speciesTaraxacum mediterraneum
equal-lobed dandelion
speciesTaraxacum aequisectum
obtuse-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum obtusifrons
wavy-leaved dandelion
speciesTaraxacum undulatum
tar-blotched dandelion
speciesTaraxacum pannulatiforme
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
The Anatomy of Plants (Vol. 2)
Nehemiah Grew · 1682 · p.412
Maria Sibylla Merian — Der rupsen begin, voedzel en wonderbaare verandering (1712)
Maria Sibylla Merian · 1717 · p.59
Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration
Xu Guangqi · 1909 · p.842
New Genera of Plants
Pier Antonio Micheli · 1729 · p.323
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Taraxacum in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 967514.