Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1996, Side 84

88
THE RED-LEAVED FAROESE DANDELION, TARAXACUM RUBIFOUUM RASMUSSEN
plants, sold from nurseries, more or less in-
directly, originate from the growths in the
botanical gardens of Copenhagen and Upp-
sala (i.e. originally from Tórshavn), be-
cause nurseries are often offered seeds
from these botanical gardens.
Illegal seed collection in the botanical
gardens is supposed to take place as well
(Iwarsson, in litt.). Even if it is impossible
to prove, I feel sure that all red-leaved dan-
delions of Taraxacum sect. spectabilia, oc-
curring in gardens or nurseries outside the
Faroe Isles, originate from Rasmussen’s
fruit sample, sent to Copenhagen 1938.
Kjeld Hansen (1966) characterizes T. rubi-
folium as ‘?native’, but neither he nor
Christiansen has seen it in the wild, and no
other occurrences of this conspicuous
species have been registered, so far, apart
from cultivated specimens.
It is a matter of discussion if T. rubifoli-
um can be called a Faroese endemic
species, when no spontaneous occurrences
of it are known. However, the present au-
thor has no hesitation in considering Tórs-
havn as its origin.
Acknowledgement
I wish to thank F. Amklit (Bot. Garden, Copenhagen),
M. Iwarsson (Bot. Garden, Uppsala), Kristianna Jensen,
Kvívfk, and Dr. R. Lancaster, Eastleigh, UK., for in-
formation and kind help.
References
Hansen, K. 1966. Vascular Plants in the Faeroes. Dansk
Bot. Arkiv 24 (3): 116
Lancaster, R. April 1993. Taraxacum officinale. In: The
Garden (ed.: Mitchell, S.): 170-171 (London)
Rasmussen, R. 1952a. Viðbót til Føroyaplantutal. Fróð-
skaparrit (1. bók): 16
Rasmussen, R. 1952b. Vár-Hagasólja. Føroya Flora
(2nd ed.): 180-182