Puff
by Arlene Carmel
Title
Puff
Artist
Arlene Carmel
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Dandelion, the common name for Taraxacum, is given to members of the genus, and like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a floret. Many Taraxacum species produce seeds asexually by apomixis, where the seeds are produced without pollination, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant.
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The flower heads are yellow to orange colored, and are open in the daytime but closed at night. The flower heads mature into spherical seed heads called "blowballs" or "clocks" 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.
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The dandelion plant is a beneficial weed, with a wide range of uses, and is even a good companion plant for gardening. Its taproot will bring up nutrients for shallower-rooting plants, and add minerals and nitrogen to soil. It is also known to attract pollinating insects and release ethylene gas which helps fruit to ripen. Taraxacum seeds are an important food source for certain birds. (Wikipedia)
Uploaded
May 6th, 2013
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