Dandelion Seeds
by Robert Bales
Title
Dandelion Seeds
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
A very common Spring site and found this on my morning walk!! The dandelion is a very common weed in the Northern Hemisphere.
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 often reflexed downward, but remain appressed in plants of the sections Palustria and Spectabilia. 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 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.
A number of species of Taraxacum are seed-dispersed ruderals that rapidly colonize disturbed soil, especially the common dandelion (T. officinale), which has been introduced over much of the temperate world. After flowering is finished, the dandelion flower head dries out for a day or two. The dried petals and stamens drop off, the bracts reflex (curve backwards), and the parachute ball opens into a full sphere.
From Wikipedia
Uploaded
May 2nd, 2017
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Viewed 662 Times - Last Visitor from Houston, TX on 03/28/2024 at 4:30 PM
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