W103 



DANDELION 



Leon'todon tara'xacum, syns. Tara'xacum dens-leo'nis, T. officina'le, 



T. tara'xacum 



"Seeds" (achenes) green to brownish yellow, 

 Js in. long, spindle-shaped, each ridged, the 

 ridges with tiny spines near tops, tapering 

 above into a beak % in. long; beak tipped by a 

 crown of fine, brownish or white hairs (pappus) 



Flowers all strap-shaped, bright golden-yellow, 

 perfect and seed-bearing 



Flower stalks 1 to several, 2 to 16 in. high, 

 round in cross section, hollow, each ending in 

 a single flower head 



Bracts (involucre) surrounding flower head, 

 about /2 in. high, narrow or narrowly lance- 

 shaped, green with white-papery margins, 

 usually in 2 rows, outer row early bent back, 

 inner enclosing immature flower head, but 

 spreading or reflexing when flowers fully open 



Leaves up to 12 in. long, in a basal rosette 

 from a stout, perennial taproot, oblong or 

 spatula-shaped in outline, ragged-toothed to 

 coarsely and pinnately lobed with the pointed 

 lobe tips pointing toward base of plant 



Dandelion, probably the best known and most widespread weed in 

 the world, grows on a wide variety of soils but prefers moist soils 

 or. at least, those that remain moist until midsummer. Hence it is 

 found commonly on the range in weedy meadows, along open stream 

 banks and to a less degree on moist, open slopes, in stands of aspen 

 and lodgepole pine. A typical location for dandelion is the gully- 

 drained soils of eroded meadows. 



Dandelion provides good forage on the range and is often re- 

 garded as an important forage plant. It is readily eaten by all 

 classes of livestock, being especially relished by sheep. It is one 



