Fleshy Dandelion

Taraxacum carneocoloratum may be associated with unglaciated areas of Alaska and Yukon, where it is infrequent. It is easily distinguished in bloom by its pink ligules (± bronze when fresh).

Plants 3.5–9 cm; taproots branched. Stems 1–3, ascending to erect, purplish proximally to completely (barely exceeding foliage), glabrous. Leaves fewer than 10(–15), horizontal to patent or ± erect; petioles narrowly winged (mostly distally); blades oblanceolate (sometimes runci-nate), 2.8–8 × 0.5–1.4 cm, bases attenuate, margins lobed shallowly (about ¹/2 width of blades or less) or toothed, lobes straight or retrorse, sometimes antrorse, triangular or deltate to lanceolate, obtuse to acute or acuminate, teeth 0 on lobes, apices obtuse, faces glabrous. Calyculi of 10–12, appressed (to spreading), very widely ovate (outer) to ovate, dark green, often purple-tipped bractlets in 2(–3) series, 4–5.5 × 2.5–4.5 mm, white-scarious to not scarious, apices acuminate to caudate, hornless, scarious-erose. Involucres dark green, broadly campanulate, (10–)12–16 mm. Phyllaries 12–14 in 2 series, ovate to lance-ovate, 2.8–5.5 mm wide, margins not scarious (some outer) to broadly so (at least proximally, inner), apices acuminate, inner scarious and erose, hornless. Florets 20–30+; corollas pink purplish to pinkish cream (± bronze when fresh), outer 13–14 × 2.4–2.6 mm. Cypselae grayish, greenish, or yellowish, bodies oblanceoloid, ca. 3–4+ mm, cones [mature not seen], beaks stout, ribs [mature not seen], faces proximally smooth, muricate in distal ¹/4; pappi yellowish, ca. 7 mm.