A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE RED-SEEDED AND 
COMMON DANDELION 
JUNE BERRY 
To the casual observer the dandelions which prove so serious 
a pest in lawns and elsewhere, appear to be of only one species. 
Upon closer investigation, it is found that there are two common 
species, the Common Dandelion, Taraxacum taraxacum (L) and 
the Red-seeded Dandelion, Taraxacum erythrospermum (Andrz). 
These two species are the most easily distinguished by their seeds 
which are an olive brown and dark red color respectively. 
In making this study most of the observations were taken with- 
in a mile of the campus of Iowa Wesleyan College although 
comparisons were made over a much wider territory. Seven 
location types were recognized and well scattered plots from these 
varying habitats were studied. 
The first problem was to determine, if possible, the relative 
number of plants of the two species in each area. Counts of one 
hundred plants, taken at random, were made with the following 
results. 
Location of Count 
No. of Common 
Dandelion 
Plants 
No. OF Red- 
Seeded Dande- 
lion Plants 
Percent- 
age of 
Common 
Dandelion 
Plants 
Percent- 
age of 
Red-S'EEded 
Dandelion 
Plants 
Ratio 
1. Old tennis court 
83 
17 
83 
17 
.204 
2. Orchard 
83 
17 
83 
17 
.204 
3, Campus 
86-46 
14-54 
66 
34 
.515 
4. Neglected lawns 
99-74-100-63 
1-26-0-37 
84 
16 
.190 
5. Pastures 
98-68-85-88-74 
2-32- 15-12-26 
82f 
17f 
.210 
6. Along R. R. track 
94-96-97-95 
6-4-3- 5 
95 i 
44 
.047 
7. Well kept lawns 
100-100-80 
0-0-20 
934 
6§ 
.071 
Total 
1709 
291 
85.45 
14.55 
.170 
It was next undertaken to determine the relative prolificacy 
of each of these species. The number of flower heads on ninety- 
five Common Dandelion plants, taken at random throughout the 
different areas studied, were counted. The smallest was one head ; 
the largest number 258. The total was 1236 heads or an average 
of twelve heads per plant. 
The same number of Red-seeded plants were counted. The 
