Taraxacum euryphyllum

Taraxacum euryphyllum is a European microspecies belonging to the Taraxacum officinale aggregate (section Taraxacum), morphologically very close to the common dandelion. It is an apomictic perennial herb forming a basal rosette of oblanceolate leaves 10–25 cm long that are runcinately pinnatifid with broad, somewhat blunt lateral lobes — 'euryphyllum' meaning 'broad-leaved' — and a relatively wide, less deeply incised terminal lobe; the petiole is often purplish at the base. The hollow scape carries a single bright yellow capitulum 3–4 cm across, with linear ligulate florets and reflexed outer involucral bracts. The fruit is a straw-coloured to brownish achene tipped by a long, white, parachute-like pappus. The microspecies has been recorded mainly from northwestern and central Europe, growing in lawns, grassy meadows, road verges and other ruderal open ground.