Taraxacum officinale

Taraxacum officinale
Common dandelion[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2](Europe)
Secure  (NatureServe)[3]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Taraxacum
Species:	T. officinale
Binomial name
Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg.
Synonyms[4][5]
Crepis taraxacum (L.) Stokes Leontodon taraxacum L. Leontodon vulgare Lam. Taraxacum campylodes G.E.Haglund Taraxacum dens-leonis Desf. Taraxacum mexicanum DC. Taraxacum retroflexum Lindl. Taraxacum subspathulatum A.J. Richards Taraxacum sylvanicum R. Doll Taraxacum taraxacum (L.) H. Karst. Taraxacum tenejapense A.J. Richards Taraxacum vulgare Schrank

Taraxacum officinale, the dandelion or common dandelion,^[6] is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae (syn. Compositae). The common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of many silver-tufted fruits that disperse in the wind. These balls are called "clocks" in both British and American English.^{[7][8][9][10]} The name "blowball" is also used.^[11]

The common dandelion grows in temperate regions of the world in areas with moist soils. They are very hardy plants, able to grow in a variety of environments, and are tolerant of crowding, extremes of temperature, and low moisture.^[12] As a result of this hardiness, in addition to its ability to rapidly propagate itself, the dandelion has become established over a wide range via human activity, originally being native to Eurasia, but can also be found across the Americas, southern Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand as a result of incidental or deliberate introductions.

It is most often considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but the leaves, flowers, and roots are sometimes used in herbal medicine and as food.