Taraxacum (Stepanek & Kirschner, 2012)

Štěpánek, Jan & Kirschner, Jan, 2022, A hotspot of endemism: Oreophytic Taraxacum species (Compositae, Crepidinae) in the mountains of Bulgaria, Phytotaxa 569 (1), pp. 1-139 : 16

A key to the identification of the oreophytic Taraxacum sections in Bulgaria

It might be helpful to add a note on the use of the identification key: several sections are comprised of a mixture of sexually reproducing and hybridogenous apomictic species. As a consequence, some species are intermediate between sections, and even more species deviate from the core combination of characters of a section in one or several features. The user therefore should consult all the sections that may be considered for the plant material to be identified. Taraxacum sect. Taraxacum is included because of occasional coexistence of plants of T. officinale s. lat. and dandelions of mountain groups in Bulgaria.

1 Pappus variously light pinkish brown to pale greyish-brownish ................................................................. 43. T. erzincanense Doll

– Pappus white, yellowish white or dirty white .................................................................................................................................. 2

2 Outer phyllaries irregularly patent-reflexed to reflexed ....................................................................................... T. sect. Taraxacum

– Outer phyllaries appressed, loosely appressed, erect, erect-patent or patent, or arcuate-recurved .................................................. 3

3 Outer phyllaries usually ± patent, arcuate or arcuate-patent (often with appressed basal part) or erect-patent; leaves variously erectpatent, usually large, broad, with shape similar to that of T. officinale s. lat............................................... D. T. sect. Rhodocarpa

– Outer phyllaries appressed or loosely appressed, sometimes erect-patent; most leaves prostrate, appressed to ground, or leaves erect-patent; leaf shape not similar to that of T. officinale s. lat., leaves relatively small, ± short ................................................... 4

4 Leaves erect to erect-patent, never appressed to the ground; leaves with lateral segments usually remote ......... B. T. sect. Crocea

– Leaves prostrate, often appressed to the ground, or some leaves in the rosette erect-patent; leaves with lateral segments approximated ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5

5 Achene body abruptly to subabruptly narrowing in the cone; leaves usually prostrate and erect-patent within the leaf rosette; petiole winged to ± broadly winged but clearly narrower than leaf blade ................................................................. A. T. sect. Obliqua

– Achene body ± gradually narrowing in the cone; leaves prostrate and usually tightly appressed to the ground at anthesis; petiole extremely broadly winged, often as broad as the leaf blade or even broader, or petiole broadly winged .......................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... C. T. sect. Bulgarica , sect. nov.