Common dandelion is an introduced, perennial herb with milky sap. The flowering stems are unbranched, leafless, and grow 5-60 cm tall. The leaves are all basal, elongated oval, and toothed to pinnately lobed, usually with an enlarged terminal segment. The solitary heads are yellow with only ray flowers. There are two layers of involucral bracts, the inner layer erect and the outer layer reflexed. Common dandelion was originally brought to this country as a salad plant, but it has established as a very successful weed of disturbed ground all across the country. It is abundant in western Washington from low to middle elevations.