Common Dandelion, Diente de león

Description:

Flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae. It grows from generally unbranched taproots and consists of up to ten stems distributed radially, up to 40-50 cm tall. The leaves are lanceolate with a central nerve. The stems produce flower heads that are held as tall or taller than the foliage. Plants have milky latex and the leaves are all basal, each flowering stem lacks bracts and has one single flower head. The yellow flower heads lack receptacle bracts and all the flowers, which are called florets, are ligulate and bisexual. While the dandelion is considered a weed by many gardeners and lawn owners, the plant has several culinary and medicinal uses. The flowers are used to make dandelion wine, the greens are used in salads, the roots have been used to make a coffee substitute (when baked and ground into powder).

Habitat:

Mediterranean forest with dispersed Holm oaks.