ETYM French dent de lion lion's tooth, from Latin dens tooth + leo lion. Related to Tooth, and Lion.
Any of several herbs of the genus Taraxacum having long tap roots and deeply notched leaves and bright yellow flowers followed by fluffy seed balls; SYN. blowball.
Plant Taraxacum officinale belonging to the Compositae family. The stalk rises from a rosette of leaves that are deeply indented like a lion’s teeth, hence the name (from French dent de lion). The flower heads are bright yellow. The fruit is surmounted by the hairs of the calyx which constitute the familiar dandelion “puff”.
The milky juice of the dandelion has laxative properties, and the young leaves are sometimes eaten in salads. In the Russian species Taraxacum koksaghyz, the juice forms an industrially usable latex, relied upon especially during World War II.
Dandelions, introduced from Europe, now grow throughout North America.