Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

A taprooted perennial from a basal rosette with yellow flowers and a "puffball" seedhead. Dandelion is one of the most common and problematic weeds of turfgrass throughout the United States and also occurs as a weed of no-till cropping systems. All leaves occur on the basal rosette and are oblong in outline with deeply indented lobes that point toward the center of the plant. Yellow flowers occur on the end of unbranched leafless hollow stalks. The feathery pappus attached to each seed collectively forms the "puffball" seedheads and aids in wind dispersal of the seed.

IPM1007, revised June 2007