Dandelion Seed Head is a photograph by Karen Slagle which was uploaded on June 29th, 2014.
Dandelion Seed Head
This image was taken in the Texas panhandle with a Nikon D300, Nikkor 105, 2.8 VR lens. The ISO was 200, Aperture priority, f3.3 @... more
by Karen Slagle
Title
Dandelion Seed Head
Artist
Karen Slagle
Medium
Photograph - Macro Photography
Description
This image was taken in the Texas panhandle with a Nikon D300, Nikkor 105, 2.8 VR lens. The ISO was 200, Aperture priority, f3.3 @ 1/2000.
The Fine Art America watermark will not be on your print.
Taraxacum /təˈrəkʉm/ is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Eurasia and North and South America, and two species, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, are found as weeds worldwide. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion (/ˈdɨlaɪ.ən/ DAN-di-ly-ən, from French dent-de-lion, meaning "lion's tooth") 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.
The species of Taraxacum are tap-rooted biennial or perennial herbaceous plants, native to temperate areas of the Old and New Worlds.[clarification needed]
The leaves are 525 cm long or longer, simple and basal, entire or lobed, forming a rosette above the central taproot. The flower heads are yellow to orange coloured, and are open in the daytime but closed at night. The heads are borne singly on a hollow stem (scape) that rises 110 cm or more[2] above the leaves and exudes a milky latex when broken. A rosette may produce several flowering stems at a time. The flower heads are 25 cm in diameter and consist entirely of ray florets. The flower heads mature into spherical seed heads called "blowballs" or "clocks" (in both British and American English) 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.
The flower head is surrounded by bracts (sometimes mistakenly called sepals) in two series. The inner bracts are erect until the seeds mature, then flex downward to allow the seeds to disperse; the outer bracts are always reflexed downward. Some species drop the "parachute" from the achenes; the hair-like parachutes are called pappus, and they are modified sepals. Between the pappus and the achene, there is a stalk called a beak, which elongates as the fruit matures. The beak breaks off from the achene quite easily, separating the seed from the parachute.
Segment of pappus fiber showing barbs.
A number of species of Taraxacum are seed dispersed ruderals that rapidly colonize disturbed soil, especially the common dandelion (T. officinale), which has been introduced over much of the temperate world. After flowering is finished, the dandelion flower head dries out for a day or two. The dried petals and stamens drop off, the bracts reflex (curve backwards), and the parachute ball opens into a full sphere.
Uploaded
June 29th, 2014
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Comments (40)
Bunny Clarke
Love this. Reminds me of hot summer days sitting under a neighbor's tree and telling each other to blow and make a wish. Gorgeous work.
Jacqueline Athmann
Surprise & Congratulations!! Your photo has been featured on the Flowers Up Close group homepage! Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us! F/L
Mary Machare
Your color palette of blue, green and yellow works so well with the softness of the dandelion. Beautiful work! LF
Lisa Knechtel
Love your cross processing. It gives a really dreamy quality to this. Wouldn't this be magnificent hanging over a bed giving good dreams and rest. L