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Taraxacum

Genus of dandelions, vital early nectar source for pollinators.

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Dandelions are the common name for species within the flowering plant genus Taraxacum, which belongs to the Asteraceae family.[1] The field of studying Taraxacum, both scientifically and as a hobby, is called taraxacology.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. CladeTracheophytes
  2. CladeAngiosperms
  3. CladeEudicots
  4. CladeAsterids
  5. OrderAsterales
  6. FamilyAsteraceae
  7. GenusTaraxacum

Named by F. H. Wigg.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Taraxacum (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Type species
Taraxacum officinale

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

Taraxacum species are tap-rooted, perennial, herbaceous plants native to temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere.[3] Taraxacum species are found nearly worldwide, but they are not present in tropical or polar regions.[2] The simple, lobed-to-pinnatisect leaves, which form a basal rosette above the central taproot, are 5-25 cm long or longer.[4] A floret is the term for each individual flower within a head.[5]

Temperate regions are where dandelions flourish, and they are commonly located in yards, gardens, roadsides, crop fields, and numerous other habitats.[2]

What the specialist sources record

Brouillet notes that North American Taraxacum species fall within sections including Ruderalia, Erythrosperma, Palustria, Spectabilia, Borealia, and Arctica.[6] The same source states that introduced dandelions invade populations of native species in areas like the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.[6] The Fraunhofer and Continental collaboration built the first pilot system to extract dandelion rubber for making tires.[7][8] According to the Flora of North America, Taraxacum species are perennials that are (10–)30–400(–600+ in fruit) cm tall, with taproots and scapiform stems.[6]

The Guardian notes that the name dandelion comes from the French dent de lion, meaning lion's tooth.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Taraxacum" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Taraxacum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Taraxacum F.H.Wigg.", Plants of the World Online, 2023-01-01; Brouillet, "Taraxacum F. H. Wiggers, Prim. Fl. Holsat. 56. 1780", Flora of North America; Boguś, "A comprehensive analysis of chemical and biological pollutants (natural and anthropogenic origin) of soil and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) samples", PLOS ONE, 2023-01-20 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Taraxacum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stace, "New Flora of the British Isles", Cambridge University Press, 2010, p. 712 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Taraxacum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: van Doorn, "Flower opening and closure: a review", Journal of Experimental Botany, August 1, 2003; Brouillet, "Taraxacum F. H. Wiggers, Prim. Fl. Holsat. 56. 1780", Flora of North America (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Taraxacum" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Let dandelions grow. Bees, beetles and birds need them", The Guardian, 12 May 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Brouillet, "Taraxacum F. H. Wiggers, Prim. Fl. Holsat. 56. 1780", Flora of North America. facts only, no text reused. efloras.org
  7. "Making Rubber from Dandelion Juice", Science Daily, 28 October 2013. facts only, no text reused. sciencedaily.com
  8. "Fraunhofer and Continental come together when the dandelion rubber meets the road", 14 October 2013. facts only, no text reused. fraunhofer.de
  9. "Let dandelions grow. Bees, beetles and birds need them", The Guardian, 12 May 2015. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Taraxacum (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

Flowering plant

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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