Scientific Name:
Taraxacum officinale
Pronunciation:
ta-RAKS-uh-kum oh-fiss-ih-NAH-lee
Common Name:
dandelion
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Weed; leaves narrow with pointed lobes, tips of lobes arching towards plant; stem is pale green, thick, fleshy and hollow; flower large yellow head of ray and disc florets; fruit white, furry ball of seeds (achenes/ cypselas).
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.1 - 0.2m
Mature Spread:
0.1 - 0.3m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Herb, Medicinal plant, Wildlife food
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Oblanceolate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Dentate, Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Head (capitulum), Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow
Flower Scent:
Sweet
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct
Fruit Type:
Achene, Cypsela (achene + calyx)
Fruit Colour:
Brown, Silver
Fruiting Time:
Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Bark or Stem Colour:
Additional Info:
no stem
Organ Modifications:
Storage tap root
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
