Taraxacum dooguei and T. dudmanianum (Asteraceae) - two new species from Britain and Ireland

A J Richards

doi:10.33928/bib.2021.03.324

Abstract

Two new species are Taraxacum are described: T. dooguei A.J. Richards, a section Celtica species from Ireland related to T. pietii-oosterveldii, and T. dudmanianum A.J. Richards, a section Taraxacum species from Britain and Ireland previously incorrectly recorded as T. aberrans. Notes are given on their ecology and distributions.

Highlights

While preparing the forthcoming BSBI Field Handbook to British and Irish Dandelions (Richards, 2021), it became clear that it was necessary to describe two new species
We found a plant which was initially but rather hesitantly identified as T. anglicum Dahlst., a rare section Palustria species of fen meadows in England, France and the Netherlands
Longford), and in 2019 from the Great Heath of Maryboro (N5301) in Laois (v.c.H14). This was found to differ from T. anglicum in several characteristics, notably by having more pairs of lateral leaf-lobes, shorter ligules, an absence of pollen, narrower exterior bracts and larger achenes

Summary

Introduction

While preparing the forthcoming BSBI Field Handbook to British and Irish Dandelions (Richards, 2021), it became clear that it was necessary to describe two new species. Longford), and in 2019 from the Great Heath of Maryboro (N5301) in Laois (v.c.H14) This was found to differ from T. anglicum in several characteristics, notably by having more pairs of lateral leaf-lobes, shorter ligules, an absence of pollen, narrower exterior bracts and larger achenes. It was originally given the workname ‘T. turloughense’, but is being described as a new species T. dooguei in section Celtica A.J. Richards. It differs principally by the notably claw-shaped (half-recoiled) exterior bracts, and the larger, more rounded terminal leaf lobes to the inner leaves. Like most members of section Taraxacum it favours anthropogenic habitats, road-verges and banks, hedge-rows, gardens and waste-places, it may occur in open semi-natural habitats

ST1401 3 ST1500 3 ST1501 3 SX750689 9 SZ018811

23. Durham