PlantSnap Photos of the Week 2021
Taraxacum officinale - Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale – Dandelion
Ladybug on Danelion puff
Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The genus is native to Eurasia and North America, but the two commonplace species worldwide, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, were introduced from Europe and now propagate as wildflowers. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion is from French dent-de-lion, meaning “lion’s tooth”) is given to members of the genus. Like other members of the family Asteraceae, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a floret. In part due to their abundance along with being a generalist species, dandelions are one of the most vital early spring nectar sources for a wide host of pollinators. Many Taraxacum species produce seeds asexually by apomixis, where the seeds are produced without pollination, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant.
The common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of silver-tufted fruits that disperse in the wind. These balls are usually called “clocks” in both British and American English. The name “blowball” has also been used.
It grows in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of waterways, and other areas with moist soils. T. officinale is considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is also used as a very beneficial and nutritional medical herb , in food preparation, one of the and in soil amendment.
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