Dandelion is from the French dent-de-lion, meaning “lion’s tooth” referring to the toothy looking leaves. A rosette may produce several flowering stems at a time but only one flower per stem. As a side note these stems are hollow.

Typical flower heads are .8 to 2 inches in diameter and consist entirely of ray florets. The flower heads mature into spherical seed heads called blowballs or clocks containing many single-seeded fruits called achenes. Each achene is attached to a pappus of fine hairs.

After flowering is finished, the dandelion flower head dries out for a day or two. The dried petals and stamens drop off, the bracts reflex (curve backwards), and the parachute ball opens into a full sphere. After complete development, the individual seeds have then fully matured and will then be attached too white, fluffy “parachutes” which will be able to easily detach from the seed head, glide by wind, and disperse.

False dandelion: The leaves, which may grow up to eight inches, are lobed and covered in fine hairs, forming a low-lying rosette around a central taproot. Their solid stems are long and forked having more than on flower per stem. When the bright yellow flower heads mature these form seeds attached to windborne “parachutes”. All parts of the plant exude a milky sap when cut.

The dandelion leaves and flower heads are edible but the false dandelion (catsear) leaves are much less bitter but the leaves should be blanched to remove the hairs. The leaves of both may be eaten boiled or steamed and the root can be roasted and ground to form a coffee substitute.