The Dandelion is as well known as the Buttercup and Daisy. It grows in
all kinds of places, and it is in flower from early spring to late
autumn. The large yellow flower-heads are made up of a great many
separate little flower-tubes, which widen out at the mouth into a long
yellow strap. These yellow tubes are placed on a round disc with the
straps standing out in a circle, like a rosette. Each flower-head grows
singly at the end of a long green stalk. The stalks are hollow, and when
you break them a white milky juice oozes out. At the top of the stalk
you find a cup made up of narrow pointed green leaves. Some of these
leaves curve back over the top of the stalk.
When the yellow flowers are withered, the round disc is covered with the
tiny seed-vessels. Each seed-vessel ends in a slender green spike which
has a beautiful tuft of starry down at its tip. This ball of starry down
is one of the most beautiful things in the flower world.
The leaves of the Dandelion are a smooth glossy green. They are shaped
like a blunt arrow-head, and they have a white line running up the
centre. The edges are cut up into huge teeth which are said to resemble
the teeth of a lion. From this the plant gets its name.