Dandelion - introduced (*Taraxacum officinale)

Family: Asteraceae (Daisy family). Native of Europe.

Occurrence: A widespread but usually not very common weed of roadsides, bushland, lawns and waste areas.

Identification:

• it grows from a rosette of irregularly lobed leaves
• the lobes point backwards (towards the leaf base)
• the flowers are yellow on leafless, hollow stalks
• the green outer bracts (just below the flowers) are curved downwards.

Dandelion is often confused with the very common and abundant Cat’s-ear. Dandelion has been used as a medicinal and food plant.

What is known as Dandelion is a complex of forms. Identification of the forms is difficult, and in this publication all have been lumped together under the unofficial term Taraxacum officinale.

The name Dandelion is a corruption of Dent de Lion, i.e. Tooth of the Lion, referring to the teeth on the leaves.

Photos 1: Flowers showing the curled back bracts. 2: Bud, flower and seed head. 3: The lobes of the leaves point backwards. All: Castlemaine.