dandelion

dandelion [Eng. form of Fr.,=lion's tooth], any plant of the genus Taraxacum of the family Asteraceae ( aster family), perennial herbs of wide distribution in temperate regions. The dandelion has a rosette of deep-toothed leaves (the name is usually attributed to this) and a bright yellow flower followed in fruit by a round head of white down, an adaptation for wind distribution of the seedlike fruits. The common dandelion ( T. officinale ) is native to Europe but widely naturalized. Although it is considered in the N United States chiefly as a lawn pest because of the easily dispersed seeds and the deep root, it is also cultivated both for medicine and for food. The young leaves resemble chicory and are used for salad greens and as a potherb, especially in Europe. The roots may be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The flower heads are utilized for dandelion wine and are good forage for bees. In medicine the roots have been dried and used chiefly as a bitter tonic and laxative. The Russian dandelion ( T. kok-saghyz ) has been cultivated for the milky juice typical of the genus, as a source of rubber. Dandelions are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.

dandelion Widespread perennial weed, with leaves growing from the base and yellow composite flowers. It reproduces by means of parachute seeds. The leaves are used in salads; the flowers in winemaking. Family Asteraceae (Compositae); species Taraxacum officinale.

dandelion a widely distributed yellow-flowered weed of the daisy family. The name (recorded from late Middle English) comes from French dent-de-lion, translation of medieval Latin dens lionis ‘lion's tooth’, because of the jagged shape of the leaves.
dandelion clock the downy spherical seed head of a dandelion, from the child's game of blowing away the seeds to find out what time it is.