Images by Rosie Hopkins.
Dandelion : Scientific name, Taraxacum officinale.
The common dandelion is actually a variety of forms or ‘microspecies’ and there are also a number of other dandelion species, so identification can be tricky. Nevertheless, look for the familiar yellow flower heads displaying closely packed florets (tiny flowers). The leaves of the common dandelion are lobed and spoon-shaped, and the stem exudes a milky white sap if it is broken. When it fruits, the seeds appear with their downy, white parachutes, and form a globular, packed seed head. – The Wildlife Trusts.
And from Kew:
It’s easy to dismiss dandelions as ‘just weeds’ since they have a habit of growing where we don’t want them.
But the common dandelion has actually been used as a food source, a medicine and a companion plant in many gardens.
Transforming from bright yellow, multi-petalled blooms to spherical white clusters of parachute-bearing seeds, dandelions are equally at home in urban and rural environments.
Scientists are still divided on how best to categorise dandelions, as they can be broken down into microspecies based on their DNA.
