Summary: MNEMONIC NOTE: This plant is 1 of 3 in this course that have the word “lion” in the nickname (Lion’s Paw, Dead-The-Lion, Lion’s Boat). All 3 resemble or is the Dandelion and are distinguished, from one another, by their leaves. The leaves are then the springboard to their perspective mnemonics. So... What’s the first thing to do when you see a lion in the area? Leave (leaf)! That means: When you see a lion immediately look at the leaves. PRE-MNEMONIC: When you see a lion in the field immediately leave the area. Leaves that look like grass (associated with cows) lets you know that you might have the Lion’s Boat plant. MNEMONIC EXPLAINED: A cow (associated with grass [plant leaves are grass-like] and milk [exudes a milk sap when broken]) and a rabbit (associated with carrots [roots are stout and tapered; carrot-like; beige not orange; grass-like leaves also grow out of root top (carrot top-ish); grass-like leaves partially encircle developing stem and flowering stem at their base] and big ears [represent bracts that extend beyond flowerhead margin/edge/radius like ears extend beyond rabbit’s head]) wanted to go across water for greener pastures. They accepted a ride from a lion (flowerheads and puff-ball seedheads resemble dandi-LION but are much larger) who offered to transport them, on his boat (leaf tips are keeled [bottom of boat]), with a promise of not eating them. During the journey, like in a cartoon, when the lion looked at the cow he saw a glass of milk and when he looked at the rabbit he saw a chocolate bunny (lion, cow and rabbit are closely tied or associated in this sentence in a way that by thinking of one will remind you of the others; important because leaves and roots are best [though edible] before flowering stem has developed; find just grass-like leaves in the field, easily associate them with a cow, cow is tied to milk that is tied to chocolate that is tied to rabbit/bunny; both cow and rabbit is tied to the lion [in case you see the lion in the field first]. Unable to resist himself he started chasing them around and around. All of the running around in circles triggered a whirlpool. The lion caught them and swallowed the chocolate and the milk. The whirlpool swallowed the lion (the stem becomes enlarged and hollow underneath flowerhead; enlarge, hollow stem represents the whirlpool and the flowerhead represents the lion). OPTION 1: As you vividly imagine the lion being swallowed by the whirlpool, notice all of the blood on his tan fur appears purple (1 of 2 look-alikes have purple flowers [they also may not have bracts/ears that extend as far beyond the flowerhead]; look-alikes can be used identically) not red. OPTION 2: Vividly imagine the lion consuming the chocolate bunny as we all did/do, by biting the ears off first (2 of 2 look-alikes don't have bracts/ears that extend far beyond flower margin; look-alike bracts will be slightly shorter, slightly longer or even with flower margin). NOTE: Both look-alikes can be used/prepared/eaten as Lion's Boat.
