Crepis vesicaria var. taraxacifolia. The Beaked Hawkweed.

Ecology: A usually biennial herb, sometimes annual or perennial, of lightly mown or grazed grassland on roadsides, lawns, railway banks and in waste places. Lowland.

Status: Neophyte

Trends: In Britain, this species was first recorded in 1713 in Kent. It spread rapidly, reaching the west coast of Ireland in 1896. It is now the commonest yellow composite in flower on roadsides in S. Britain and S. Ireland in May. It has failed to spread far into N. England, and the first authentic record from Co. Durham was not made until 1951. There are many more records in W. England, Wales and Ireland than in the 1962 Atlas.

World Distribution: Native of the Mediterranean region and S.W. Asia.

Found on the A26 verge opposite the college entrance. Look for the basal purple flushing, the orange striping on the outside of the petals, and the general downiness of the plant.