Ini loh, Dandelion itu...

Diambil dari  Wikipedia.  Sayang,  tidak  menemukan yang  berbahasa  Indonesia. Jadi maaf ya, buat yang  baca, terpaksa  translate  sendiri.  Nggak mencantumkan  semua,  cuma  yang  dianggap  penting aja.
Sedikit kesimpulan dari saya di paragraf paling akhir...

Silahkan berpusing ria

Description

The species of Taraxacum are tap-rooted biennial or perennial herbaceous plants, native to temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere of the Old World.

The leaves are 5–25 cm long or longer, simple and basal, entire or lobed, forming a rosette above the central taproot. The flower heads are yellow to orange colored, and are open in the daytime but closed at night. The heads are borne singly on a hollow stem (scape) which rises 4–75 cm above the leaves and exudes a milky sap (latex) when broken. A rosette may produce several flowering stems at a time. The flower heads are 2–5 cm in diameter and consists entirely of ray florets. The flower heads mature into a spherical "clocks" (also known as a "wishie") containing many single-seeded fruits called achenes. Each achene is attached to a pappus of fine hairs, which enable wind-aided dispersal over long distances.

The flower head is surrounded by bracts (sometimes mistakenly called sepals) in two series. The inner bracts are erect until the seeds mature, then flex downward to allow the seeds to disperse; the outer bracts are always reflexed downward. Some species drop the "parachute" from the achenes; the hair-like parachutes are called pappus, and they are modified sepals. Between the pappus and the achene, there is a stalk called a beak, which elongates as the fruit matures. The beak breaks off from the achene quite easily, separating the seed from the parachute.

Dandelion leaves are believed to have a diuretic effect as they increase salt and water excretion from the kidneys.

Seed dispersal

A number of species of Taraxacum are regarded as seed dispersed weeds or ruderals, especially the Common dandelion (T. officinale), which has been introduced over much of the temperate world as a lawn weed. After pollination and flowering is finished, the dandelion flower dries out for a day or two and then the seed-bearing parachutes expand and lift out of the dried flower head. The dried part of the flower drops off and the parachute ball opens into a full sphere. The parachute drops off when the seed strikes an obstacle. Often dandelions are observed growing in crevices near a wall; when the blowing fruits hit the wall, the feathery pappi comes off, dropping the dandelion seeds to the base of the wall or into a crevice. After the seed is released, the parachutes lose their feathered structure and take on a fuzzy, cotton-like appearance, often called "dandelion snow".

Dandelions are used as food plants by the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). See List of Lepidoptera that feed on dandelions.

Away from their native regions, some dandelion species have become established in the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand, and are now common throughout all temperate regions, Taraxacum officinale has become a nearly world wide weed.

False dandelions

Dandelions are so similar to catsears (Hypochaeris) that catsears are also known as "false dandelions". Both plants carry similar flowers which form into windborne seeds. However, dandelion flowers are borne singly on unbranched, hairless and leafless, hollow stems, while catsear flowering stems are branched, solid and carry bracts. Both plants have a basal rosette of leaves and a central taproot. However, the leaves of dandelions are smooth or glabrous, whereas those of catsears are coarsely hairy.

Other plants with superficially similar flowers include hawkweeds (Hieracium) and hawksbeards (Crepis). These are both readily distinguished by their branched flowering stems which are usually hairy and bear leaves.

Dandelion, atau yang di Indonesia sering disebut dengan bunga rumput, masuk ke dalam famili Asteraceae. Ternyata, masih punya hubungan famili dengan bunga Aster, Daisy, dan Bunga Matahari.

Bunga ini berwarna kuning  (jadi, bukan yang putih ya...) karena biasanya kita menganggap kalau yang putih itulah bunga Dandelion. Akan tetapi, ternyata itu adalah benih bunganya, atau yang biasa disebut "Parachute Ball" (hmm..bahasa Indonesianya yang tepat apa ya?)
Penyebaran tanaman ini melalui perantara angin atau manusia (biasanya orang suka meniupnya, dan kemudian beterbanganlah benihnya). Menurut bacaan di atas, benih bunga ini akan terbang, dan terbang, sampai menemukan rintangan, lalu jatuh ke tanah. Jadi, banyak bunga ini yang kemudian tumbuh di dekat dinding (mungkin juga pohon, atau semacamnya... atau, kalau anginnya berhenti bertiup, dia bakal jatuh kali ya?)
Tanaman Dandelion tidak bercabang. Jadi, dalam satu batang hanya ada satu bunga. Kesalahan yang sering terjadi adalah, ketika kita menemukan bunga yang mirip dengan bunga ini di tepi jalan, lantas kita menyebutnya Bunga Dandelion hanya karena benihnya beterbangan setelah kita tiup. Belum tentu. Lihat dulu batangnya, bercabang atau tidak. Kalau tidak, itulah Dandelion.

YUPS! Thats All!
Terimakasih buat yang sudah sudi membacanya. Lebih berterima kasih lagi kalau ada yang mau bantu translate
Oia, kalau ada kesalahan, tolong dikoreksi yaaa...