About those dandelions

[Ph34r]

Right, well I need to know some ways in which the dandelion's adaptations make it a good competitor. I would like to have pretended that I knew something about this when i was asked, but I was left stumped. I have googled, and so far I have:

Brittle roots
Parachute like seeds
Bitter leaves
Vegetative reproduction
Rosette of leaves
deep roots
Hairs on stem
Short life cycle
Hundereds of seeds per head
colourful petals
cloasable sepals
Leaves begin close to the ground

Any more would be appreciated, as I am told that there are hundereds.
Ph34r

 

[Bushwhacker]

They can grow in poor soil.

 

[DearDeath]

they contain a number of chemicals which can be midly toxic, they are good rabbit food and tortoises like em' too

 

[Harvestman]

Dandelion is a colonist. Massive reproduction (lots of seeds), can flower several times a year, seeds disperse over a wide area (wind dispersal) and can grow in just about any soil. Vigorous roots system allows it to survive grazing or cutting, and the dense flat rosette of leaves excludes close-by competitors by cutting out the light. Add in that it grows very quickly, and is sufficiently genetically varied that there are several hundred recognised 'varieties'/sub-species, so it adapts to just about any set of conditions. In competetive terms, it is what is referred to as an R-selected species - it relies on a high reproductive rate and effective dispersal for its success.

That probably explains why it is probably the most widespread plant in the UK.