Common Name: dandelion, lion's toothScientific Name: Taraxacum officinale Weber in WiggersFamily Name: Asteraceae (Compositae) - Aster or Sunflower FamilyIdentification NotesLife Cycleintroduced perennial, reproducing by seed Stemsreproductive (scapes), hollow, whitish, unbranched, leafless Leavesoblanceolate, deeply toothed, backward pointing teeth or lobes, basal rosette, mid-vein hollow Flowersheads of bright yellow ray (ligulate) florets, ray flower toothed tips; solitary; closing at night, form "puffball" when mature