Common Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale Weber [Asteraceae]
Genus Taraxacum Cass.
Richness: 2000 spp in the world (30 sections by Richards 1973)
Lifeform: tap-rooted biennial and perennial forbs
Seed dispersal: wind
Origin: Temperate climate zones in the Northern Hemisphere of the Old World
Chromosome number: 2n = 24, 32, 40, 48, 64 (16 = diploid)
| Species | Ref. | Karyotype | |||
| YM | SO | TT | SY | ||
| Section Mongolica | |||||
| T. platycarpum カントウタンポポ | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | Homo |
| T. japonicum カンサイタンポポ | 16 | 16 | 16 | Homo | |
| T. longeappendiculatum トウカイタンポポ | 16 | 16 | Homo | ||
| T. elatum セイタカタンポポ | 16 | 16 | Homo | ||
| T. maruyamanum オキタンポポ | 16 | Homo | |||
| T. variabile キツネタンポポ | 16 | Homo | |||
| T. sendaicum センダイタンポポ | 16 | 16 | 16 | Homo | |
| T. hondoense エゾタンポポ | 24 | 24, 32 | 24, 16, 32 | Homo | |
| T. kuzakaiense クザカイタンポポ | 32 | Homo | |||
| T. kiushianum ツクシタンポポ | 32 | Homo | |||
| T. pectinatum クシバタンポポ | 32 | 32 | 32 | Hetero | |
| T. ceratolepis ケンサキタンポポ | 32 | 32 | Hetero | ||
| T. arakii ヤマザトタンポポ | (32, 40) | Hetero | |||
| T. albidum シロバナタンポポ | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | Hetero |
| T. shinanense ウスギタンポポ | 38 | 32, 40 | 32 | 40 | Hetero |
| T. formosanum タイワンタンポポ | 16 | 24, 32 | Hetero | ||
| Section Ceratophora | |||||
| T. yuparense ユウバリタンポポ | 16 | Homo | |||
| T. alpicola var. shiroumense | 62 | 24 | 24 (24) | Homo | |
| T. yatsugatakense ヤツガタケタンポポ | 24 | Homo | |||
| T. platypecidum オダサムタンポポ | 24 | Homo | |||
| T. chamissonis クモマタンポポ | 32 | 32 | Homo | ||
| T. shikotanenseシコタンタンポポ | 64 | 64 | 64 | Hetero |
YM: Miyaji Y (1932), SO: Okabe S (1951), TT: Takemoto T (1954, 56, 61, 70), SY: Yamaguchi S (1974, 76)
Taraxacum officinale Weber
Seiyou-tampopo (セイヨウタンポポ, 西洋蒲公英)
Lifeform: perennial forb (Typical exotic and weedy species to Japan)
Indicator species on urbanization
Taraxacum officinale in Hokkaido University Campus
[Left/Center] Near GSEES building in Hokkaido University (HU) Campus on April 22, 2008. [Right] Near the Institute of Low Temperature Science, HU, on September 9, 1989.