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Mother and stepmother and dandelion: similarities, differences
Flowers coltsfoot and dandelion are so similar in appearance that you might think that they are different names for the same plant. Having learned how they differ, you will never confuse these flowers.
Description of dandelion and coltsfoot
Before looking for the similarities between dandelion and coltsfoot, let’s figure out what kind of flowers they are and how they look.
Mother and stepmother is a herb that grows all over the world. His homeland is Europe, Asia, Africa. This plant is introduced to the rest of the world. The coltsfoot blooms in early spring, even before the leaves appear. It has lovely bright yellow flowers that turn into fluffy hats by the end of flowering. The Latin name translates as “cough”. No wonder this flower is widely used by the people to treat various types of cough. Well, the Russian name is explained by the fact that one side of its leaves is warm and tender, like a mother, and the other is cold, like a stepmother. In general, the people of this plant have many names, for example, the king-potion and mother-grass.
Dandelion is a widespread wildflower in our country. Every spring you can watch the little ones collect bouquets of dandelions and weave wreaths from these flowers. However, dandelion grows not only in our country, but all over the world. He is incredibly unpretentious. Rumor has it that this flower can grow even after the explosion of the atomic bomb. Dandelions start blooming in March or April, depending on the climate. However, in central Russia, they usually bloom only in May – early June. Just like the mother and stepmother, the yellow flowers bloom first on the dandelion, which later turn into fluffy white caps. But the flowers bloom after the leaves have appeared.
Similarities and differences between dandelion and coltsfoot
From a biological point of view, it is very easy to understand the similarities of these plants. Biology, like any other exact science, gives a clear description of its “wards” and classifies them into categories. Here are the similarities of the colors in question:
- they belong to one kingdom – plants;
- the department to which they belong is flowering;
- their class is dicotyledonous;
- well, the family of our flowers is aster.
There is only one scientific difference between dandelion and coltsfoot. These plants belong to different genera.
Now you know how these two plants differ. Despite the fact that they are often confused due to their external similarity, they are different and have different useful properties.
See also: blooming Kalanchoe does not bloom