Leontodon taraxacoides (Vill.) Mérat, Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: rough hawkbit

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Rosette-forming herb. Leaves to ca 10 cm long, narrow linear-oblong in outline but more or less pinnatifid, tending runcinate, with petiole more or less distinct from the decurrent lamina. Capitula solitary, peduncles to nearly 30 cm. Phyllaries ca one cm long in fruiting capitula, a little shorter at flowering stage. Rays yellow. Achenes fusiform, ribs muricate" (Sykes, 1970; p. 66).

Habitat/ecology:  Normally a weed in temperate countries, growing in the non-coastal part of Niue that is also exposed to the cooling effect of the trade wind. It is said to prefer calcareous soils and dry grasslands in Europe (Sykes, 1970; p. 66).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Southern and central Europe (Sykes, 1970; p. 66).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 339)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R. (1977) (p. 94)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 66) Vouchers cited: CHR 170431
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 11)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 44) Voucher: BMW 7084 (BISH, CHR, BRI)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 190)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 339) "Lawns, bogs, swamps, roadsides, railway lines, sand dunes, gravel, waste land, pasture, gardens".

Additional information:
Additional online information about Leontodon taraxacoides is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Leontodon taraxacoides as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Leontodon taraxacoides may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1977. Kermadec Islands flora: an annotated checklist. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 219, Wellington. 216 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.