Dandelion

What to look for

• Toothed or deeply lobed leaves form a rosette at ground level.
• Each leafless, unbranched, hollow flower stalk carries a yellow flower head.
• Mature heads become pale seed clocks; plants have a persistent taproot.

Confirm it before you treat it

Compare a flowering plant with the catsear guide. Catsear commonly has conspicuously hairy leaves and branched flower stalks, while dandelion has a hollow, single-headed stalk. Mowing removes those clues, so photograph an intact plant or submit a sample. Yellow colour alone does not identify either weed.

What to do next

1. Use a weeding tool to lift an isolated plant and as much of its taproot as practical, rather than only removing the leaves.
2. Check the spot again for regrowth and remove flower or seed heads before further seed spread. Repair the opening with a method suited to your grass.
3. If plants are widespread, send us identification photos and the lawn variety before buying a herbicide. Review why the turf canopy is open.

Conditions matter more than dates.

An open lawn gives rosettes room to establish. Existing perennial plants can persist through mowing, so a tidy lawn surface does not show whether the root has gone.

Flowers can appear for much of the year in suitable Australian conditions. Spring and autumn are useful times to inspect temperate lawns, but local growth and intact plant features guide the next step.

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