Who has not experienced the joy of picking a fluff-ball from a Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and watching the fluff blow away on the wind? And, maybe even helped the process?
The small, slender seeds or fruits (called cypselae) are held at the base of silky "sails" or "parachutes" (called pappi). An individual Dandelion flowerhead produces between 50 and 200 seeds that are taken up on the wind and spread a significant distance.
Dandelions bloom and fruit in the spring, summer and fall. The bloom is heaviest in the spring, sparest in the fall. Thus, dandelions provide a extended food source for bees and other insects.
