Purple-bracted Dandelion

Taraxacum brachyglossum, commonly known as the purple-bracted dandelion, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to Taraxacum section Erythrosperma, a group of dandelions typically associated with dry, open habitats and known for their reddish achenes and distinctive bract coloration. Native to much of central and western Europe, including Great Britain, and introduced in parts of North America and southern Africa, T. brachyglossum is one of the more frequently encountered members of its section in the British Isles.

The species is characterized by its dull green, narrowly lobed leaves, purplish unwinged petioles, and glaucous-purple, horn-tipped outer bracts. Its yellow flower heads often display purple-striped ligules, and the reddish achenes are topped with a short cone. T. brachyglossum exhibits notable variation in reproductive strategy, ranging from sexual reproduction to facultative or obligate agamospermy, and shows a wide range of chromosome numbers. Although it frequently forms pure populations, it can hybridize with other Taraxacum species.