Dandelion

Written by

in

Plant 🌼
🌼
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Size
5–40 cm tallFrom ankle-height to knee-height
Lifespan
Perennial; individual plants live 5–10 years
Rarity
Common
M vs F
N/A — reproduces without pollination (apomixis)
Habitat
Grassland, road verges, lawns, wasteland — almost any open ground
Best time
March–October; early flowers are vital for emerging spring bees
Conservation
UK: Green LC
💡 Did you know?
Dandelion seeds can travel over 100 km on the wind — their parachute-like pappus exploits turbulence to stay airborne far longer than any engineered equivalent
Dandelions reproduce by apomixis — producing fertile seeds without pollination, meaning a single plant can colonise entirely new ground alone
Often confused with
Cat's-ear (branched stem smaller flower heads) Hawkbit (branched stem hairy leaves)
0
Be the first to spot this!
🔍 Log an Adventure 🧠 Take the quiz