Enigmatic ancestral stenoendemic Taraxacum relicts in the Mediterranean and the Near East. Enigmatic Taraxacum heybroekii and T. mirabile

In the mountains of the Mediterranean and the Near East, the genus Taraxacum is represented by numerous sections and species (Soest 1975, 1977, Richards 1991). Several of these species are characterized by a combination of plesiomorphic features, and occupy relatively restricted geographical ranges, sometimes confined to a single mountain group, sometimes occurring in several mountain ranges or in an otherwise restricted area; they are often considered as ancestral stenoendemic species (Soest 1963, Fürnkranz 1969b). These taxa attracted interest of outstanding botanists and dandelion experts, and the list of names most frequently used within this group of taxa includes T. assemanii, T. microcephalum, T. primigenium, T. primigeniiforme, T. microcephaloides, T. glaciale, T. mirabile and T. cylleneum (Boissier 1875, Handel-Mazzetti 1907, Pomel 1870, Fürnkranz 1964, 1967, 1969a, 1969b, Soest 1975, 1977, Richards 1991, Wagenitz 1962).