Overlooked dandelion diversity in BC (and everywhere in North America?)

It would be premature at this point to write keys to the exotic species. It’s still too easy to find new additions. Here’s a copy of the keys to sections that appears in paper:

1a Plants usually growing in wild vegetation at high elevations or latitudes; bracts sometimes strongly corniculate, the outer ones mostly erect to appressed, sometimes recurved or spreading; leaves mostly either weakly lobed or with simple lobes … (Native groups, not treated here)

1b Plants mostly in disturbed vegetation, mostly at low to middle elevations and latitudes; bracts not corniculate or with small, inconspicuous horns, the outer ones mostly spreading, recurved or reflexed; leaves mostly deeply lobed, the lobes in most cases longer than wide and often again lobed … 2 (Exotic sections)

2a Outer bracts erect and appressed, blackish green, ovate and with blunt apices; plants usually in wet sites; not documented from British Columbia, but to be sought …[Section Palustria ]

2b Outer bracts spreading to recurved, or if appressed, then apices acute to acuminate; habitat various, but usually not in wet sites … 3

3a Inner and/or outer bracts minutely corniculate; outer bracts mostly <10 mm long, mostly thin and pale, usually pinkish … 4

4a Cypsela cone slender, scarcely tapered, usually >0.7 mm, cypsela body often red- or purple-brown … Section Erythrosperma

4b Cypsela cone stout and upwardly tapered, usually <0.7 mm, cypsela body pink-brown … Taraxacum fulvicarpum group

3b Inner and outer bracts not at all corniculate (though sometimes with 1-2 minute ridges at apex; outer bracts various, but often >10 mm long and usually opaque or dark and without pink tones … 5

5a Involucre often distinctly glaucous (alive), blackish green and glossy (dried); outer bracts ovate, lanceolate or sometimes oblong-lanceolate … 6

6a Leaves mostly olive-green, lateral lobes usually 4 per side and hamate; outer bracts comparatively abruptly tapered; mostly robust plants … Section Hamata

6b Leaves mostly dark bluish green, lateral lobes usually <4 per side and mostly not hamate; pollen often absent … 7

7a Leaves not spotted (except often at the internodes, or spotted due only to injury); pollen often lacking; locally common … Section Celtica

7b Leaves purple spotted, the adaxial spots corresponding to abaxial ones; pollen present (ours); rarely encountered … Section Naevosa

5b Involucre rarely glaucous, not appearing blackish or varnished in the pressed state; outer bracts mostly oblong or lance-oblong … 8

8a Outer bracts mostly >10 mm long; leaves mostly crisped and/or rugose, summer leaves almost always complexly lobed; pollen rarely absent … Section Taraxacum

8b Outer bracts mostly <10 mm long; leaves often not crisped and mostly not rugose; summer leaves mostly weakly lobed or merely dentate; pollen often absent … 9

9a Petioles with no wings or wings narrow; summer leaves usually oblanceolate or obovate in outline; capitula usually comparatively small; ligules deep yellow, the outer ones with dark abaxial stripes … Section Borea

9b Petioles with broad green wings to base or nearly so; summer leaves often oblong; capitula usually comparatively large; ligules often comparatively pale, the outer ones often with pale abaxial stripes … Section Boreigena

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