時差N小時:蒲公英的誕生

They're a home owner's nemesis and a young kid'sdelight. Whether they're yellow flowers dotting anotherwise perfect lawn or white puffs ready to beblown away by a sudden gust, dandelions are eitherhated or loved by just about everybody. What lookslike a single yellow flower growing in your lawn isactually many flowers grouped together. Each sectionof the flower that looks like a petal is actually anindividual flower in its own right.

蒲公英是房子主人的克星，卻能給孩子們帶來歡樂。無論是點(diǎn)綴在完美的草坪上的黃色花朵，還是忽然一陣風(fēng)刮來就會被吹走的純白蓬松的果實(shí)，蒲公英讓每個人又愛又恨。蒲公英黃色的花朵看上去像是一朵，但實(shí)際上是許多花朵的組合。那些看起來類似花瓣的部分，實(shí)際上都是一朵獨(dú)立的花。

A dandelion is an aggregate of many small flowers and each individual flower has its ownstamens and pistil, and therefore can reproduce without fertilization. After a dandelion hasbloomed, each of the individual flowers within a single dandelion forms a seed. The seed isattached to fluffy white threads, which allow the seed to fly to a place where, if it meetsfavorable conditions, it can germinate to create another dandelion. Even if you hate thiscommon weed, you've got to respect its tenacious spirit.

蒲公英是許多小小花朵的集合，且每朵花都有自己的雄蕊和雌蕊。蒲公英綻放之后，每個單獨(dú)的花朵內(nèi)都會形成種子。種子就是那毛茸茸的白色線球，這樣種子能隨風(fēng)飛到別處，如何遇到適宜的環(huán)境，它就能發(fā)芽，長成另一株蒲公英。即使你討厭這種普通的植物，但必須尊重它頑強(qiáng)的精神。

Dandelions are native to six continents, and are found throughout the world except in thetropics. Their impressive roots, which can be up to a foot long, allow them to thrive ininhospitable environments, like big cities, where most flowers and weeds can't even survive.

蒲公英原產(chǎn)于六個大陸，除了熱帶，世界的任何地方都能找到它們的身影。令人驚嘆的是，它們的根部長達(dá)一英尺，這樣的根部使它們能在荒涼的環(huán)境中茁壯成長，例如不適合許多花草生存的大城市。

Cut off a dandelion at the surface and the root will grow another plant. But dandelions aren'tjust annoying weeds; they've been used throughout history in a variety of ways. Dandelionleaves have been eaten as salad greens and dried to make dandelion tea; and dandelion flowershave been used to make wine and schnapps. In addition, the milky juice of one kind ofdandelion has been used to make a natural rubber.

將蒲公英的表面或者根部切斷，就會重新長出一株蒲公英來。然而，蒲公英并不是令人頭疼的雜草。歷史上有各種關(guān)于食用蒲公英的記載。蒲公英的葉子可做成沙拉食用，也可曬干用來泡茶。蒲公英的花朵能用來釀葡萄酒和松子酒。此外，有一種蒲公英的白色汁液可用來制作天然橡膠。