Dandelions
size:
10 to 50 centimeters
color:
flowers: yellow
blossoms:
April, May, sometimes August-October
pollination:
not necessary
reproduction:
seed spread by wind
life span:
perennial
- Dut: Paardenbloem
- Lat: Taraxacum officinale (Taraxacum erythrospermum)
- Eng: Dandelion (Red-seeded dandelion)
- Fren: Pissenlit
- Ger: Gemeiner Löwenzahn
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- Dandelion, foto fitis, sytske dijksen
Dandelions
Dandelions are probably the best known flower. Most people consider it a weed, removing it from their lawns as quickly as possible. Being a composite, one plant is made up of dozens of flowers, producing a fluff of seeds. There are many different species and subspecies of dandelion. The red-seeded dandelion is found on dry soils, particularly in the dunes of North and South Holland and locally on the Wadden Islands. It grows in soils that are slightly rich in humus, moderately nutrient-poor and containing calcium. The entire plant is edible.
- Pollination unnecessary
- Dandelion seeds, foto fitis, sytske dijksen
What makes dandelions so unusual is that they don't need to be pollinated to produce seeds. At least, those dandelion species found in the Netherlands. The seeds are clones of the parent plant. More specifically, they are plants without a father. This asexual manner of reproduction is called apomixis. Most dandelions still produce nectar and pollen, which is gladly eaten by various insects.
See also
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