Yellow to Orange Flowers 359 



base of the leaves, which are broadly oval, obtuse, crenate 

 and taper into the stalks. The lower stem leaves are 

 lanceolate in outline and the upper ones linear sessile and 

 deeply pinnatifid. The flower heads have linear acute bracts 

 with brownish tips and the rays are pale yellow or often 

 lacking. 



COMMON DANDELION 



Taraxacum ofiicinalc. Composite Family 



Scapes and leaves from the crown of a thick vertical root. Leaves: 

 lanceolate in outline, and from irregularly dentate to runcinate-pinnatifid. 

 Flowers: in solitary heads at the summit of the hollow scapes; rays 

 numerous ; involucre a single series of nearly equal narrow bracts, and 

 several calyculate ones, the outer reflexed, all acute. Not indigenous. 



" Common " as this Dandelion is named, and common as 

 it is in all the mountain regions, yet it is far from being an 

 ugly or even an uninteresting plant. On the contrary, its 

 gorgeous golden blossoms render it extremely attractive. 

 These blossoms consist of from one to two hundred strap- 

 shaped rays, their blunt tips notched into five teeth, which 

 remind us that each ray-flower was once composed of five 

 petals. The leaves are boldly cut into jagged lobes (sup- 

 posed to resemble the teeth of a lion, hence the common 

 name Dandelion, derived from the French Dent-de-lion), 

 and these lobes are again cut into secondary points. 



As the Dandelion grows old the rays fall off, and it bends 

 downwards until the seed matures; then, elevating its head 

 once more, it expands into a beautiful, snow-white, airy 

 seed-ball, whose plumes blow away at the slightest puff 

 and float off to find a new resting-place. This is an intro- 

 duced plant. 



Taraxacum rupestre, or Alpine Dandelion, is a tiny 

 slender plant with finely cut leaves and small flowers, which 



