Dandelion

(Taraxacum Officinale)Native to Europe and Asia but now widespread throughout Australia, Dandelion is a deep tap-rooted perennial with spear-shaped leaves in a rosette formation. Sometimes the leaves are toothed, other times less so. It is a common weed of lawns, especially in cool and temperate regions. Its flowers are bright yellow and daisy-like but without any obvious ‘eye’ and they are carried on stems to 25cm, which exude a milky sap. The seed heads (sometimes known as children’s tick-tocks) contain hundreds of individual seeds, each with its own pappus (silky ‘parachute’) to aid wind dispersal. Dandelion can be dug out but it is important to also remove the tap root, otherwise it will regrow.