Taraxacum submolle

Leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate, 14–18 cm long, 3–5 cm wide, glabrous to sparsely cottony hairy, polymorphic during the flowering period: in the early flowering period lateral lobes in 3–5 pairs, triangular, distal margins entire or with a few acute lobules, proximal margins usually entire or with one acute lobule, incised close to the midrib and thus with narrow interlobe areas, terminal lobe helmet-shaped in outline to triangular, sometimes sagittate and often mucronate, margins entire or toothed (the terminal lobe can be up to half the length of the leaf); in the late flowering period leaves shallowly dissected with acute short lobes and lobules, distinct lateral and terminal lobes not differentiated; petiole pale rose-purple, midrib green. Scapes 10–14 cm long at anthesis, 17–38 cm long in fruit, woolly-hairy in bud, becoming glabrous at maturity except just under the capitulum, red basally grading to green above, often with a narrow bract below the capitulum. Capitula 3–4 cm diam., outer involucral bracts narrow-lanceolate 8–12 mm long, 2.5–4 mm wide, arcuate-patent, narrowly but clearly bordered, apices pink, sometimes callosed; innermost involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, 12–14 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, apices mildly callosed. Outer florets with a flat ligule exceeding the involucre by 8–9 mm; anthers with pollen; stigmas greenish-grey. Achenes narrow obovate, 3.8–5 mm long. c. 1.5 mm wide, with straight spines less than 0.3 mm long at the apices, verrucate below, light olive-brown; beak 6–10 mm long. Pappus 5–6 mm long. Flowers and fruits mainly Sept.–Apr.