Taraxacum ceratophorum, July 22, 2021
Common & scientific name
Horned dandelion, Taraxacum ceratophorum
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Grizzly ridge, 12,800’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Standing less than 6 inches tall and with a hairy head of purple-tinged bracts, this native dandelion is purportedly the most widespread of our natives in North America.
As for the “horned” part . . . this description confused me for years: “horn-shaped swellings at the tips of the phyllaries,” Bill Weber says. What shape, exactly, is a “horn?” As it turns out, with a loop or better yet a microscope, you can make out a little curved, bulbous growth on the tip of the phyllary. Subtle, yes, horn-like, not hugely (or at all), but it does distinguish it from other native dandelions.