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Taraxacum officinale
Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Foothills, montane, subalpine, alpine. Meadows, woodlands. Spring, summer.
Lower Stoner Mesa Trail, May 27, 2004.

Golden Dandelion blooms carpet high mountain meadows in early spring.  Dandelions continue to  bloom - but to a lesser degree - into the fall.

Intermountain Flora states that because Taraxacum officinale hybridizes, has multiple chromosome structures, and reproduces sometimes by producing seeds even when not fertilized, the "taxonomy and nomenclature [of Taraxacum] are in a state of utter confusion.  Well over a thousand arcane microspecies have been described."

Linnaeus named this plant Leontodon taraxacum in 1753 and it received its present name in 1779 from George Heinrich Weber (1752-1828).

 

Taraxacum officinale
Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Foothills, montane, subalpine, alpine. Meadows, woodlands. Spring, summer.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, April 16, 2004.

Dandelions are a non-native species in the United States, introduced from Eurasia and now entrenched almost world-wide because of their excellent seed dispersal and ease of germination.  Their crowded head of ray flowers produces numerous seeds that germinate easily and quickly so the plant is often found in huge colonies.  Dandelion's low, wide basal leaves crowd-out competing plants.

The species name, "officinale", refers to the acceptance, centuries ago, of Dandelion roots as an "official" drug.  Various parts of the the plant are commonly used in salads and wine-making. 

The common name is a condensation of the French "dent de lion" (also the Latin "Leontodon"), "lion’s tooth", referring to the teeth on the leaves.  

"Taraxacum" is, according to the on-line Botanical Dictionary, "a  medieval name traceable through Arabic to the Persian "talkh chakok", meaning 'bitter herb' ", but Intermountain Flora states the "name [is] of doubtful origin, perhaps from the Greek tarassein, to stir up, referring to reputed medicinal qualities".

Taraxacum officinale

Taraxacum officinale
Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Foothills, montane, subalpine, alpine. Meadows, woodlands. Spring, summer.
Ryman Creek Trail, June 16, 2005 and 2010.

Bring a small hand lens when you take walks and sit down to examine the intricacies of even the most common flowers. 
Taraxacum officinale
Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion)
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Foothills, montane, subalpine, alpine. Meadows, woodlands. Spring, summer.
Lower Stoner Mesa Trail, June 12, 2004.

Dandelion seed heads with their multitude of silvery white pappus hairs have a beauty --  and fun  --  of their own.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Taraxacum officinale