Taraxacum pseudohamatum

Detailed description

Stout, medium-sized to large plants bearing myriad suberect to erect leaves. Leaves not dimorphic, lanceolate, strongly hamate; adaxially usually glossy dark green, sometimes purple-green, or maroon when stressed or in exposed situations, abaxially slightly paler, interlobes sometimes darkly blotched, surfaces sparsely hairy or not, mid-rib pinkish with interwoven strands; petioles ± winged near base, white or purple (depending on exposure). Lateral leaf lobes 5−6(−8), alternate, recurved, broad, subacute to acute, convex on distal margin, proximal lobes filiform-dentate. Terminal leaf lobes deltoid to sagittate, ± entire, subobtuse. Scapes equalling leaves or slightly overtopping them, glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs appressed. Involucre in bud 20−25 mm long, initially broadly ovoid, prior to anthesis distinctly barrel-shaped, dark green-brown to dark purple-green; involucral bracts in two whorls, outer involucral bracts 16−20, spreading, arcuate, usually reflexed at anthesis, 10−14 × 4.0−5.6 mm, broadly lanceolate, adaxially dark glaucous green, strongly pruinose, often suffused purple, abaxially dark green to purple-green, margins distinctly bordered; inner involucral bracts 12−18(−20), erect in bud, arcuate, apical ⅓−½ recurved at anthesis, abaxially dark brown-green, glaucescent to pruinose. Capitula 50−60 mm diameter, dark yellow. Ligules abaxially striped dark grey, or centrally grey with dark orange striping toward margins, inner florets sometimes finely tipped orange. Stigma dark-yellow, pollen plentiful. Achene 3.5−4.0 mm long, pale-yellow to yellow-brown; cone 0.4−0.6.