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Wild Florida Photo - Taraxacum officinale - Common Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale 

Common Dandelion

Not native to Florida

Morgan Co. TN 04/23/08
Morgan Co. TN 04/23/08
Morgan Co. TN 04/23/08
Morgan Co. TN 04/23/08
Volusia Co. FL 03/01/14

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An occasional wildflower mostly found in the panhandle and the central peninsula and randomly elsewhere in Florida. Native to Eurasia it is now found throughout North America and most temperate regions of the world.
This familiar plant grows up to 51cm (20 in.) tall from deep tuber-like tap roots. The yellow flowers are up to 4.5cm (1-3/4 in.) wide with from 40 to over a hundred narrow, strap-like rays. There is no disk. The solitary flower head has reflexed outer bracts equal in length to the inner bracts, on top of a smooth hollow stem. All leaves are in a basal rosette, 5-25cm (2-10 in.) long, oblanceolate and pinnately lobed with the lobes pointing backward. Leaves are usually smooth on top and slightly hairy below.
Taraxacum officinale is the most common and considered by some to be the only species of this genus in Florida. Other plants with flowers somewhat similar to dandelions include Hieracium (hawkweeds), Krigia (dwarfdandelions) and Pyrrhopappus (desert-chicory).
For information about the historic, culinary and medical uses of dandelions, visit Wildflowers of the Southeastern United States.

View online purchase options for Dandelion Flower by Paul Rebmann

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Taraxacum officinale is a member of the Asteraceae - Aster family.


Other species of the Taraxacum genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
  Taraxacum laevigatum - ROCK DANDELION


Date record last modified: Apr 01, 2020


Paul Rebmann Nature Photography at pixels.com