The flower heads are solitary at the end of naked, hollow stalks. Plants develop from unfertilized gametes. Seeds travel a considerable distance because of the parachuting effect produced by the spreading pappus. In a seedbank of a ponderosa pine community in Washington, viable dandelion seedlings emerged from litter and soil samples in greenhouse germination trials. Seed germination on a control plot in Wisconsin was inhibited by thick mulch.
Soil texture ranges from clays and clayey loams to sandy loams.
Although the role of dandelion as an early seral species does not change, the length of time dandelion populations are present varies among ecosystems. Dandelion enters a disturbed community and rapidly becomes abundant. Dandelion is not a member of the climax plant community on rangelands since it cannot withstand competition for moisture, nutrients, and light with the climax vegetation. By mid-June, dandelion has reached its maximum bloom stage, and the seeds from earlier flowering dates are mostly disseminated.