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Taraxacum officinale grows from (generally unbranched) taproots and produces several hollow, leafless flower stems: 470 that are typically 5–40 centimetres (2–15+3⁄4 inches) tall, but sometimes up to 70 cm (28 in) 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 may be upright-growing or horizontally spreading; the leaves have petioles that are either unwinged or narrowly winged. The stems can be glabrous or sparsely covered with short hairs. Plants have milky latex and the leaves are all basal; each flowering stem lacks bracts and has one single flower head. The yellow flower heads lack receptacle bracts and all the flowers, which are called florets, are ligulate and bisexual. In many lineages, fruits are mostly produced by apomixis,[notwithstanding the flowers are visited by many types of insects.
The leaves are 5–45 cm (2–17+3⁄4 in) long and 1–10 cm (1⁄2–4 in) wide, and are oblanceolate, oblong, or obovate in shape, with the bases gradually narrowing to the petiole. The leaf margins are typically shallowly lobed to deeply lobed and often lacerate or toothed with sharp or dull teeth.
The calyculi (the cuplike bracts that hold the florets) are composed of 12 to 18 segments: each segment is reflexed and sometimes glaucous. The lanceolate shaped bractlets are in two series, with the apices acuminate in shape. The 14–25 millimetres (1⁄2–1 in) wide involucres are green to dark green or brownish-green, with the tips dark gray or purplish. The florets number 40 to over 100 per head, having corollas that are yellow or orange-yellow in color.
The fruits, called cypselae, range in color from olive-green or olive-brown to straw-colored to grayish, they are oblanceoloid in shape and 2–3 mm (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) long with slender beaks. The fruits have 4 to 12 ribs that have sharp edges. The silky pappi, which form the parachutes, are white to silver-white in color and around 6 mm wide. Plants typically have 24 or 40 pairs of chromosomes, while some have 16 or 32 pairs.
A much delayed third trip out to see the Foxes. The weather was forecast to be heavy rain, but it didn't happen. The grassland had turned straw coloured.
This is one of the more confident Foxes walking through the grass straight towards my position. It got within 15 meters before disappearing off to the right.
Images best viewed in "lights out" L key
It never ceases to amaze me how things just appear in my cabinet with no rhyme or reason. The cabinet is full of stuff that has appeared over the years.
I have no idea where or when the straw lady showed up. hahaha
"on the lap of Himalayas"
Straw flowers are relatively pest and disease-resistant. However, they can occasionally be affected by aphids, whiteflies, or fungal diseases if grown in overly damp conditions.
By incorporating straw flowers into your garden, you can enjoy their vibrant colors throughout the growing season and beyond, thanks to their excellent suitability for drying and preserving.
Helichrysum bracteatum or Xerochrysum bracteatum, are popular in gardens for their vibrant colors and long-lasting blooms