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Detail
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Image ID: yrt168
Permalink:
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Native
Family:
Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Height: 0.25 to 1.5 ft.
Blooms: March to
September
Leaf Type:
toothed
Bloom Size: 1.5 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Individual flowers,
Parts indistinct
Location: Youghiogheny River Trail
Date: 4/10/2004
Common Dandelion may be
easily confused with:
- Canada Hawkweed
Dandelion has a hollow stem with conspicuous milky sap, and raggedly toothed basal leaves. The hawkweed has a thinner stem and lightly toothed ovate leaves.
- Cat's Ear
The leaves of cat's ear are hairy, while dandelion leaves are smooth. The dandelion has a distinctive hollow stem with milky sap.
- Coltsfoot
Dandelion stems are hollow with milky sap. Coltsfoot stems have reddish scales.
- Large Mouse-Ear Hawkweed
Dandelion leaves are smooth and sharply toothed. Large Mouse-Ear Hawkweek leaves are hairy and fairly smooth.
- Mouse-Ear Hawkweed
Dandelion leaves are smooth and sharply toothed. Mouse-Ear Hawkweek leaves are hairy and fairly smooth.
Folklore, History, and Other Facts
The following information is taken from my great-grandmother's copy of
The Herbalist (1918).
This information is presented for historic purposes only, as many remedies recommended by this book
are toxic!
![page 1](herbology/257_1.jpg)
We started out as wildflowers from the bicycle trails of western Pennsylvania, but we've
grown!
Meyer, Joseph E. (1918). The Herbalist and Herb Doctor. Hammond, Ind.: Indiana Herb Gardens. 400 pp.
![The Herbalist](images/herbbook.jpg)