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Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

A yellow dandelion flower

How to Identify:

Annual/Perennial/BiennialPerennial
HeightUp to 50cm
Flower typeSolitary, bright yellow flower heads
LeavesBasal leaves arranged in a circle
StemsStem is leafless

 

How to Spot

A common sight in spring, these bright yellow wild flowers can look quite exotic and the fluffy seed heads that follow are delicate and ethereal.

Look out for the bright yellow discs of tightly packed florets above a rosette of jaggedly toothed leaves. The flowers are followed by fluffy white seed heads. The plants are perennial and have a long tap root.

They are a huge number of Dandelion microspecies, in the UK, we have around 250. It’s believed that more than 40 of these are endemic species, and the majority are native.

Where to Spot

Dandelions mostly occur in disturbed habitats such as pastures, roadside verges, lawns, tracks, paths and waste ground. They are widespread and stable throughout the British Isles.

A dandelion clock seed head

Did you know?

  • The name is derived from the French ‘dent de lion’ as the jaggedly toothed leaves were thought to resemble the teeth in a lion’s jaw.
  • In the Language of Flowers, Dandelion stands for faithfulness and happiness.
  • Dandelion is said to be one of the five bitter herbs that Jews were required to eat during the Feast of Passover.
  • A favourite food of pet rabbits and guinea pigs, Dandelion leaves may also be added to salads to add an extra, slightly bitter flavour.
  • During the Second World War, when coffee was almost unobtainable, a substitute was made from the roasted and ground roots of Dandelions.

Other Species

Adder’s Tongue Spearwort

Adder's Tongue Spearwort

Ranunculus ophioglossifolius
Alexanders

Alexanders

Smyrnium olusatrum