Dandelions – and their sap
by Chris, 27 January, 2016, 1 comments
In recent years, the BSBI has conducted a plant hunt to see which plants are in bloom at the start of the New Year - across the U.K. Some 612 different species were recorded in flower this year (compared to 368 species last year), but the most commonly recorded species in flower were daisies and dandelions. Dandelions are deep rooted, perennial plants; they are native to most temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, though they have spread to many other places. The dandelion genus, Taraxacum, contains a number of species but Taraxacum officinale is probably the most common.
Dandelions are to be found in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks, river banks and other areas with moist soils - they are often regarded as pernicious weeds. Young plants can grow with considerable force, and make their way through surface like asphalt. Dandelions often reproduce by apomixis - a sort of sub-sexual system that has resulted in some 200+ microspecies in the U.K. Many of these have been recognised and classified by Professor John Richards. Read more...
