Species: Taraxacum officinale

Plantae - Anthophyta - Dicotyledoneae - Asterales - Asteraceae - Taraxacum - Taraxacum officinale is the generally accepted scientific name for the common dandelion, with variation among taxonomists as to extent of inclusiveness of this species. As treated by Kartesz (1994 checklist and 1999 floristic synthesis), includes both Eurasian plants widely established in North America (ssp. officinale) and native North American plants (ssp. ceratophorum). The native plants included here by Kartesz have been variously considered distinct species by many authors, including Taraxacum integratum, T. lacerum, T. laurentianum, and T. maurolepium. The Eurasian subspecies (ssp. officinale), as treated by Kartesz, includes plants sometimes considered a distinct species, T. palustre, as well as plants sometimes treated as another subspecies, T. officinale ssp. vulgare. LEM 17Jan00. Weber (Taxon 47: 495, 1998) notes that customary usage of the name Taraxacum officinale is for an aggregate of apomicts, with the name Taraxacum campylodes used for the particular segregate apomict which includes the type of T. officinale; nomenclatural formalization of this practice is requested. LEM 3Jun98.