Common dandelion

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More names for this plant

Latin (or scientific name): Taraxacum officinale

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

Page contents

About the common dandelion

Visual guide to phenology

Graphs and historical data

More resources

Common dandelion with open flowers and fruits.
Common dandelion with bright yellow flowers.
May 17, 2019, Ruhland, Germany
Photo by Wilhelm Zimmerling via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

About the common dandelion

  • The common dandelion is a perennial plant that produces bright yellow flowers from spring through fall.
  • In Minnesota the first dandelions of the year usually start to grow between mid April and the first week of May.
  • The flowers produce seeds attached to hairs that carry the seeds on the wind and give dandelions their tuft-like appearance. 
  • Its leaves are lobed and arranged in a circle at the base of the stem.
  • Fun fact: Dandelion leaves can be used in salads or to make tea. 

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for the appearance of leaves, flowers, and fruits. Take notice of when flowers open and fruits ripen.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch for when observing common dandelion phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify this plant or collect data in a standardized way.

Common dandelion with green leaves and one closed flower bud.
Common dandelion with flower that is not yet open. Observed in the month of March.
Common dandelion with a single open flower. Observed in the month of March.
Open flower being visited by a bumblebee. Observed in the month of April.
Common dandelion with one open flower and a few closed flowers. Fruits form in closed flowers.
Dandelion flower stages. Photo shows multiple images of dandelions, including a closed bud, an open flower, a spent flower, and a spent flower head covered in fruits.
Common dandelion with fruits.
Common dandelion with bare spot where fruits have fallen off.
Common dandelions can flower late in the season.

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.


Itasca County

Flowering

  • Earliest: March 13 (occurred in 1999)
  • Average: April 15
  • Latest: May 21 (occurred in 1989)
Scatterplot showing common dandelion phenology observations in Itasca County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Last flower:

  • Earliest: October 5 (occurred in 2011)
  • Average: November 3
  • Latest: November 20 (occurred in 1999)
Scatterplot showing common dandelion phenology observations from Itasca County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Washington County

First flower

  • Earliest: April 9 (occurred in 2012)
  • Average: May 1
  • Latest: May 17 (occurred in 2013)
Scatterplot showing common dandelion phenology in Washington County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Carlton County

Flowering

  • Earliest: April 23 (occurred in 2010)
  • Average: May 6
  • Latest: May 24 (occurred in 2013)
Scatterplot showing common dandelion phenology in Carlton County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

More resources

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officiniale) in Nature's Notebook

 

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Times of year

Co-author: Lynsey Nass, Minnesota Master Naturalist