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Taraxacum polyodon Dahlst., a dandelion

The solitary Fermanagh record was made on 29 March 1975 when the plant was found colonising bare stones and gravel on the shore of Lower Lough Macnean near Belcoo. There are two vouchers from the site with Accession Numbers H5039 and H5041, det A.J. Richards 1975.

T. polyodon is another microspecies that the Dandelion Handbook considers one of the commonest and most widespread throughout the British Isles. It has been recorded from eleven Irish VCs, including Fermanagh, scattered around the island in a total of 22 mapped hectads (Map 100). Oddly, the map did not plot the Fermanagh record. The Field Handbook map features Irish records in around 27 hectads, mainly in the east of the island, but with 13 squares in NI.

The Dandelion Handbook describes this dandelion as being a very distinctive and easily identified microspecies early in the season, although later on it becomes more problematical to distinguish. The comparative ease of its identification undoubtedly explains why T. polyodon is considered common and widespread.

References

Field Handbook; Dandelion Handbook