Toxicological trivia from June 24, 2015: Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion (often simply called "dandelion"), is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae).While the dandelion is considered a weed by many gardeners and lawn owners, the plant has several culinary and medicinal uses. The specific name officinalis refers to its value as a medicinal herb, and is derived from the word opificina, later officina, meaning a workshop or pharmacy. It is one of the main species of flora of beekeeping interest in the prairies, bees visit flowers unfailingly delivering great amount of nectar and pollen. It is known for beekeepers:a) Only the northern hemisphere;b) Only the southern hemisphere;c) Everyone by almost cosmopolitan distribution.es