A basal rosette of toothy leaves from which rises a hollow scape or flower stem capped by a deep yellow head of ligulate flowers. A native of Europe, it is a common weed throughout North America.
Dandelion has a wide variety of uses in folk medicine.
The roots may stimulate the appetite a bit and produce a slight laxative effect. A perennial plant with a showy, terminal cluster of hanging, tubular, spotted, bell-shaped, purple flowers. The erect stems are about thirty-six inches tall with numerous large, thick leaves at the base. The dried leaf contains a glycoside called digitoxin that is used in a drug for the treatment of congestive heart failure. Several cases of digitalis poisoning have resulted from mistaking foxglove leaves for comfrey leaves.