Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia, Taraxacum sect. Vulgaria,
SE: Maskros, Ogräsmaskros, DE: Wiesen-Löwenzahn,
Gemeiner Löwenzahn, NL: Paardenbloem, UK: Dandelion

Scientific name:  Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia Kirschner, H. Øllg. & Stepanek
Synonym name:  Taraxacum sect. Vulgaria (Lam.) Schrank
Swedish name:  Maskros, Ogräsmaskros
German name:  Wiesen-Löwenzahn, Gemeiner Löwenzahn
Nederlandse naam:  Paardenbloem
English name:  Common Dandelion
Family:  Asteraceae / Compositae, Korgblommiga växter

Hammarstrand, Ragunda, Jamtlnad, Flowers in Sweden
Date Picture Taken: May 24, 2009

Life form:  Herbaceous perennial
Stems:  Plant medium-sized (20–45 cm).
Leaves:  Basal rosette,long, lance-shaped, deeply toothed
Flowers:   Each flower head consists of hundreds of tiny yellow ray flowers. Unlike other composites, there are no disk flowers.
Flowering Period:  April-October
Fruits:  Achene straw-coloured or greyish brown; Achene spinules medium long, medium strong, straight. Achene cone cylindrical, smooth, 0.7–0.8 mm long. Rostrum length 10–11 mm.
Habitat:  Meadows, pastureland, farmland, settlements

Vilda blommor i Sverige: Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia, Taraxacum sect. Vulgaria, SE: Maskros, Ogräsmaskros, DE: Wiesen-Löwenzahn, Gemeiner Löwenzahn, NL: Paardenbloem, UK: Dandelion
Date Picture Taken: June 10, 2010


Derivation of the botanical name:
Taraxacum, medieval name traceable through Arabic to the Persian talkh chakok, meaning "bitter herb".
Ruderalia, growing among rubbish.
  • The standard author abbreviation Kirschner is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation H. Ollgaard is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Štěpánek is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Dahlst is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.

White, globular seed head. Each seed has a tiny parachute, to spread far and wide in the wind.
The long, lance-shaped, deeply toothed leaves gave the plant its name in Old French: Dent-de-lion means lion's tooth in Old French.

Vilda blommor i Sverige: Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia, Taraxacum sect. Vulgaria, SE: Maskros, Ogräsmaskros, DE: Wiesen-Löwenzahn, Gemeiner Löwenzahn, NL: Paardenbloem, UK: Dandelion
Date Picture Taken: June 10, 2010


Vilda blommor i Sverige: Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia, Taraxacum sect. Vulgaria, SE: Maskros, Ogräsmaskros, DE: Wiesen-Löwenzahn, Gemeiner Löwenzahn, NL: Paardenbloem, UK: Dandelion
Date Picture Taken: June 10, 2010


Vilda blommor i Sverige: Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia, Taraxacum sect. Vulgaria, SE: Maskros, Ogräsmaskros, DE: Wiesen-Löwenzahn, Gemeiner Löwenzahn, NL: Paardenbloem, UK: Dandelion
Date Picture Taken: June 10, 2010


Vilda blommor i Sverige: Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia, Taraxacum sect. Vulgaria, SE: Maskros, Ogräsmaskros, DE: Wiesen-Löwenzahn, Gemeiner Löwenzahn, NL: Paardenbloem, UK: Dandelion
Date Picture Taken: June 10, 2010