Taraxacum holmboei

Taraxacum holmboei, the Troödos dandelion, is a rosulate perennial herb, up to 10 cm high. Leaves simple, all in rosette, deeply divided, with deltoid-acute lobes, glabrous, oblong in outline, 3.5-10 x 8-2.5 cm. Flowers in capitula, with yellow, ligulate florets, flowering May–June. Fruit a pappose achene.

Habitat

Open pine forests, roadsides, dry hillsides with open vegetation on igneous rocks at 1100–1950 m altitude.

Distribution

Endemic to Cyprus where it is confined to the Troödos Mountains where it is locally common: Platania, Karvounas, Troodos Square, Almyrolivadho, Khionistra and Prodromos.

Etymology

It is named in honour of the Norwegian botanist Jens Holmboe.

Cytology

The diploid chromosome count is 2n = 12.

Conservation

It is categorized as vulnerable by The Red Data Book of the flora of Cyprus.