Leontodon taraxacoides
Encyclopedia
Leontodon taraxacoides is a species of hawkbit
known by the common name lesser hawkbit. It is native to Europe and North Africa but it can be found in many other places across the globe as an introduced species
and often a noxious weed. This is a dandelion-like herb growing patches of many erect, leafless stems from a basal rosette of leaves. Atop the stems are solitary flower heads
which are ligulate, containing layered rings of ray florets with no disc florets. The florets are yellow with toothed tips. The fruit is a cylindrical achene
with a pappus
of scales. Fruits near the center of the flower head are rough, while those growing along the edges of the head are smooth.
Hawkbit
Hawkbits are dandelion-like flowers in the family Asteraceae . Their English name derives from the mediæval belief that hawks ate the plant to improve their eyesight...
known by the common name lesser hawkbit. It is native to Europe and North Africa but it can be found in many other places across the globe as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
and often a noxious weed. This is a dandelion-like herb growing patches of many erect, leafless stems from a basal rosette of leaves. Atop the stems are solitary flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
which are ligulate, containing layered rings of ray florets with no disc florets. The florets are yellow with toothed tips. The fruit is a cylindrical achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
with a pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
of scales. Fruits near the center of the flower head are rough, while those growing along the edges of the head are smooth.