Dandelion Leaf

COMMON NAME Standardized: dandelion Other: lion's tooth 
BOTANICAL NAME Taraxacum officinale Plant Family: Asteraceae SYNONYMS Taraxacum dens-leonis, Taraxacum vulgare
PARTS USED Dandelion Leaf / Flowers

Dandelion bears a sun-yellow flower head (which is actually composed of hundreds of tiny flowers) typical of the Asteraceae family, that closes in the evening or during cloudy weather and opens back up in the morning, much like its cousin calendula (Calendula officinale). When the flower is closed, to some, it looks like a pig's nose, hence one of its names, 'swine's snout. It is a perennial herb with deeply cut leaves that form a basal rosette somewhat similar to another family member, the wild lettuce (Lactuca sp.), and has a thick tap root which is dark brown on the outside and white on the inside. It is native to most of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, naturalized all over the world, and commonly found growing alongside roads and in lawns as a common weed.