Taraxacum officinale

Basic information
Scientific name	Taraxacum officinale	Click to magnify
Common names	Common dandelion，Lion's tooth
Higher taxon	Asteraceae, Asterales, Magnoliopsida, Magnoliophyta
Natural range	Europe.
Habitat	Roadside, Vacancy, farm area, pasture field, lawn field, fruit garden, riverside, etc.

Invasion information
Range in Japan	Almost entire Japan
Origin	Unknown.
Date	The first record in Japan was in 1904, at Hokkaido.
Route	Deliberate: Imported as food, cattle feed, etc. Accidental: With pasture, etc.
Impact	Competition and hybridization with native dandelions. Allelopathy. Parasites (insects, fungi, nematodes). Allergen of hay fever. Native organism(s) affected: Native Taraxacum, etc.
Regulation in Japan	No action for prevention, mitigation, control, or eradication.
Introduced range in other countries	Worldwide. North and South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania.

Reference

Notes

Ecol Soc Jpn (ed) (2002) Handbook of Alien Species in Japan. Chijinshokan, Tokyo (in Jpn)
JWRC (ed) (2008) A Photographic Guide to the Invasive Alien Species in Japan. Heibonsha, Tokyo (in Jpn)
Hotta et al. (1989) Useful Plants of the World. Heibonsha, Tokyo (in Jpn)
Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The Invasive Alien Species Act (Accessed on 2011-2-25) http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/as.html (in Jpn)
Shimizu (ed) (2003) Naturalized Plants of Japan. Heibonsha, Tokyo (in Jpn)
etc.

Taraxacum officinale complex is listed in 100 of the Japan’s Worst Invasive Alien Species.