Dandelion Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Dandelion
  • Plant Name: Dandelion
  • Plant Type: Flowering Plant
  • Plant Genus: Taraxacum
  • Plant Family: Asteraceae
  • Plant Order: Asterales
  • Type Species: Taraxacum officinale

21 Dandelion Facts for Kids

  1. Dandelion is the common name for several flowering plants in the Taraxacum genus.
  2. The Taraxacum genus is complex and has a rough estimate of about 250 different species of dandelions.
  3. The type species for the Taraxacum genus is the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).
  4. Fossil evidence suggests that dandelions appeared in Eurasia around 30 million years ago.
  5. Dandelions are found on every continent around the world, except Antarctica.
  6. Dandelions are a non-woody (herbaceous ) vascular flowering plants.
  7. Dandelions are perennial plants, that means they continuously grow year after year without needing to be replanted.
  8. Dandelions have tap-roots, that means their root system has one dominate root. All the other roots are connected to the dandelion’s dominate root and sprout laterally.
  9. The stem of a dandelion is typically green, hollow and doesn’t have any leaf appendages.
  10. The leaves of a dandelion come out of its base, they are usually between 2 and 10 inches in length. However, some species can have leaves that are longer.
  11. A milky latex substance is released from the stem and leaves of a dandelion when damaged.
  12. The color of a dandelion flower head varies by species but is usually a yellowish to orangish color.
  13. Dandelion species can reproduce one of two ways, through pollination or apomixis.
  14. Dandelion species that use pollination are depended on pollinators like bees.
  15. Dandelion species that use apomixis can produce seeds on their own and don’t require pollinators.
  16. The Japanese dandelion (Taraxacum albidum) is an example of a species that uses apomixis.
  17. Dandelion species spread their seeds using the wind. Their seeds develop with a pappus that allows them to be carried off by the wind and germinate far away from the parent plant.
  18. Every part of a dandelion is edible and nutritious. It’s a common herbal remedy in many countries.
  19. Yellow dye can be created from the yellow petals of a dandelion.
  20. The Kazakh dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz) is cultivated for its ability to create a high quality rubber.
  21. The common dandelion is considered a harmful weed. It’s a common weed that grows in lawns and is a primary target in most consumer and commercial weed killers.

Additional Resources on Dandelions

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