Thanks, Singh ji.
Some extracts from Wikipedia link (for pictures/ more details, pl. click on the link): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum_officinale *Taraxacum officinale*, commonly called *Dandelion<http://mail.google.com/wiki/Dandelion> *, is a herbaceous perennial plant<http://mail.google.com/wiki/Perennial_plant> of the family Asteraceae <http://mail.google.com/wiki/Asteraceae> (Compositae). It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. *T. officinale* is considered a weedy species, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb<http://mail.google.com/wiki/Medical_herb> and in food preparation. As a nearly cosmopolitan weed, Dandelion is best known for its yellow flower heads, that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits, that blow away on the wind. *Taraxacum officinale* grows from generally unbranched taproots and produces one to more than ten stems that are typically 5 to 40 cm tall but sometimes up to 70 cm tall. The stems can be tinted purplish, they are upright or lax, and produce flower heads that are held as tall or taller than the foliage. The foliage is upright growing or horizontally orientated, with leaves having narrowly winged petioles or they are unwinged. The taxonomy of the genus *Taraxacum <http://mail.google.com/wiki/Taraxacum> * is complicated by apomictic <http://mail.google.com/wiki/Apomictic> and polyploid <http://mail.google.com/wiki/Polyploid> lineages,[3]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-Wittzell1999-2> [4]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-Dijk2003-3> and the taxonomy and nomenclatural situation of*Taraxacum officinale* is not yet fully resolved.[1]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-efloras.org-0> *Taraxacum officinale* is a common colonizer after fires, both from wind blown seeds and seed germination from the seed bank.[12]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-11> The seeds remain viable in the seed bank for many years, with one study showing germination after nine years.[13]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-en.wikipedia.org-12> This species is a somewhat prolific seed producer, with 54 to 172 seeds produced per head, and a single plant can produce more than 5,000 seeds a year.[13]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-en.wikipedia.org-12> It is estimated that more than 97 000 000 seeds/hectare<http://mail.google.com/wiki/Hectare> could be produced yearly by a dense stand of dandelions. When released, the seeds can be spread by the wind up to several hundred meters from their source, the seeds are also a common contaminate in crop and forage seeds. The plants are adaptable to most soils and the seeds are not dependent on cold temperatures before they will germinate but they need to be within the top 2.5 centimeters of soil. [14]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-TAOF-13> *Taraxacum officinale* is used to make dandelion wine<http://mail.google.com/wiki/Dandelion_wine> ,[18]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-17> the greens are used in salads, the roots have been used to make a coffee like drink and the plant was used by Native Americans<http://mail.google.com/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States>as a food and medicine. [19]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=3kvJIaVZmnE.en_GB.&am=!_SV7VRCFDgHpRd_gwfw0QnAsW3EiMBRKreYraGb3#cite_note-18> While the dandelion is considered a weed <http://mail.google.com/wiki/Weed> by most gardeners and lawn owners, the plant does have several culinary<http://mail.google.com/wiki/Culinary> uses, and the specific name *officinalis* refers to its value as a medicinal herb <http://mail.google.com/wiki/Herb>. 2009/9/11 Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> > Clearly Taraxacum officinale, if we don't follow Von Suest who has > described more than 100 species from India. The genus Taraxacum is supposed > to be apomictic, and any small structural mutation is carried further, and > stays in population. > > > Dr. Gurcharan Singh > Associate Professor > SGTB Khalsa College > University of Delhi, Delhi > India > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45 > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* J.M. Garg <[email protected]> > *To:* indiantreepix <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Friday, September 11, 2009 8:59 AM > *Subject:* [indiantreepix:18155] For Id 110909JM1 > > During Sar Pass Trek on 11/5/09 in Himachal. > -- > With regards, > J.M.Garg ([email protected]) > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 > 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' > Image Resource of thousands of my images of Birds, Butterflies, Flora etc. > (arranged alphabetically & place-wise): > http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg > For learning about Indian Flora, visit/ join Google e-group- Indiantreepix: > http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en > > > > > -- With regards, J.M.Garg ([email protected]) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' Image Resource of thousands of my images of Birds, Butterflies, Flora etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg For learning about Indian Flora, visit/ join Google e-group- Indiantreepix: http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "indiantreepix" group. 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