Content
- Dandelion: species and their common features
- More than 400 species worldwide
- Characteristics common to all dandelion species
- Differences of the types
- The most important species in this country: the common dandelion
- Tips
There are also white-flowering dandelions
Dandelion: species and their common features
Grazing animals eat the juicy leaves, but bees nourish themselves on the nectar-rich flowers - the dandelion is not only known in animals, but also in the people who regard it as a medicinal plant and kitchen herb or weed. But dandelion is not just dandelion ...
Early article Dandelion - remove the weeds Next article Grow dandelion - with this knowledge it works!More than 400 species worldwide
There are more than 400 species of dandelions distributed worldwide! The species belong to the plant family of the daisy family. Dandelions are found both in our latitudes and in the tropics and in the Arctic. But the majority, such as the moor dandelion and the Silesian dandelion is located in temperate zones.
Characteristics common to all dandelion species
All dandelion species have the typical serrated leaves, the yellow cup flowers and the fluffy seeds. Here are more common features:
Differences of the types
There are species whose flowers are smaller or larger, slightly whitish or have a hint of orange. Other flowers are less strongly filled with ray florets. The seeds are usually similar. Only the individual umbrellas can differ in their length and shape.
Most obvious are the differences of the leaves of each species. There are species with very narrow and long leaves. The leaves may be strongly toothed or almost smooth-edged. Their color may be light green or dark green. Their end can be tapered or rather rounded.
The most important species in this country: the common dandelion
While hardly anyone knows the marsh dandelion, the hook dandelion, the moor dandelion, the Silesian dandelion or the Russian dandelion, the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is well known. He is the most common in this country.
The following peculiarities of the ordinary dandelion, which is often grown in Germany, held:
Tips
The dandelion of the genus Leontodon is a completely different species to Taraxacum.