﻿Stork: 
  Studies 
  in 
  the 
  genus 
  Taraxacum 
  205 
  

  

  good 
  soil 
  and 
  cultivation 
  they 
  grew 
  but 
  slowly 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  

   season. 
  The 
  rapidly-growing 
  plants 
  that 
  one 
  observes 
  on 
  lawns 
  

   and 
  in 
  similar 
  situations 
  arise 
  from 
  old 
  rootstocks. 
  The 
  seedlings 
  

  

  They 
  were 
  covered 
  during 
  

  

  come 
  

  

  the 
  winter 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  spring, 
  started 
  a 
  rapid 
  growth, 
  

   developed 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  size 
  and 
  produced 
  numerous 
  flowers 
  and 
  

   blowballs 
  during 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  plants 
  were 
  quite 
  young, 
  the 
  rosette 
  leaves 
  showed 
  

   some 
  variation 
  in 
  form, 
  ranging 
  from 
  entire 
  to 
  deeply 
  pinnatifid- 
  

   runcinate. 
  These 
  variations 
  did 
  not 
  follow 
  the 
  parent 
  type 
  

   forms 
  but 
  occurred 
  among 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  race. 
  As 
  

   they 
  grew 
  older, 
  greater 
  uniformity 
  resulted, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  

   season 
  two 
  distinct 
  uniform 
  types 
  developed 
  in 
  the 
  nine 
  races. 
  

   All 
  the 
  races, 
  except 
  No. 
  9 
  (collected 
  as 
  T. 
  erythrospermum) 
  and 
  

   No. 
  6, 
  gave 
  plant^ 
  that 
  were 
  striking 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  uniform 
  

   conformance 
  to 
  one 
  definite 
  type, 
  a 
  large 
  T. 
  vulgare 
  type 
  with 
  

   characters 
  as 
  commonly 
  attributed 
  in 
  the 
  keys, 
  the 
  leaves 
  being 
  

   up 
  to 
  12 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  the 
  scapes 
  up 
  to 
  18 
  inches. 
  So 
  

   uniform 
  were 
  the 
  foliage 
  and 
  flower 
  characters 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  impos- 
  

  

  F 
  

  

  sible 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  slightest 
  variation 
  to 
  set 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  seven 
  races 
  off 
  

   from 
  the 
  others. 
  In 
  striking 
  contrast 
  to 
  these 
  uniform 
  rows 
  

   were 
  those 
  of 
  races 
  No. 
  6 
  and 
  No. 
  9. 
  No. 
  9 
  had 
  been 
  selected 
  as 
  

   T. 
  erythrospermum 
  and 
  gave 
  a 
  uniform 
  race 
  of 
  plants 
  somewhat 
  

   larger 
  than 
  the 
  parent 
  plant 
  but 
  having 
  the 
  characters 
  usually 
  

   attributed 
  to 
  the 
  species. 
  Exactly 
  like 
  these 
  plants 
  were 
  those 
  

   of 
  race 
  No. 
  6, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  surprise 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  an 
  error 
  in 
  deter- 
  

   mination 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  this 
  parent 
  plant, 
  

   a 
  r. 
  erythrospermiim 
  form 
  having 
  been 
  mistaken 
  for 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   T. 
  vulgare 
  forms, 
  which 
  only 
  goes 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  so 
  

   intergrade 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  sometimes, 
  at 
  least, 
  indistinguishable. 
  Sears 
  

   (11) 
  says, 
  "both 
  species 
  possess 
  such 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  forms 
  that 
  

   the 
  only 
  safe 
  criterion 
  for 
  separating 
  them 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  achene 
  

   color 
  and 
  form." 
  And 
  even 
  these 
  characters 
  intergrade. 
  There 
  

   are 
  dwarf 
  forms 
  of 
  T. 
  vulgare 
  that 
  have 
  achenes 
  conforming 
  in 
  

   shape, 
  size, 
  and 
  spine 
  characters 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  T. 
  erythrospermum. 
  

   The 
  achene 
  color 
  varies 
  from 
  a 
  light 
  olive 
  green 
  to 
  gray 
  or 
  brown 
  

   and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  a 
  red 
  pigment 
  Is 
  developed 
  almost 
  as 
  distinct 
  

   as 
  in 
  T. 
  erythrospermum; 
  ^\n\& 
  fruits 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  species 
  that 
  have 
  

  

  