Dandelion—Taraxacum officinale

Dandelion feature yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of seeds that can be dispersed by blowing on them.

The balls of seeds are also referred as blowballs or clocks. Taraxacum officinale can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. T. officinale is considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. 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. The flowers are used to make dandelion wine, the greens are used in salads, the roots have been used to make a coffee substitute (when baked and ground into powder) and the plant was used by Native Americans as a food and medicine.

Wikipedia article, video source

Snowberry—Symphoricarpos albus

The white berries of the snowberry make a cracking sound when they are stepped into firm ground.

The name Symphoricarpos is derived from the Greek words συμφορειν ("to bear together") and καρπος ("fruit"). It refers to the closely packed berries the species produce. It is native to North America. It can grow in a wide variety of habitat types. Native Americans used the plant as a medicine and a soap, and sometimes for food, and the wood was good for arrow shafts. In Russia, the berries are crushed in the hands and rubbed about for a soothing folk-remedy hand lotion. Snowberry fruit contains low concentrations of a bitter principle, saponin, which foams in water. It is very poorly absorbed by the body and can be broken down by thoroughly cooking the fruit. Saponin is much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, if eaten in large quantities. The snowberry is also used for erosion control and it is planted in ecological restoration projects on disturbed sites such as abandoned mines. Its white fruits make it popular as an ornamental plant.

Wikipedia article, video source

Policeman's Helmet—Impatiens glandulifera

Impatiens, meaning "impatient", refers to Impatiens glandulifera's method of seed dispersal: the seed pods explode when disturbed.

In German, it is referred to as Springkraut ("jumping herb"). Impatiens glandulifera is native to the Himalayas, but due to human action is now present across much of the Northern Hemisphere. It typically grows to 1 to 2 m, the flower has a distinct shape, giving rise to the common name Policeman's Helmet. In some cases Impatiens glandulifera is becoming an invasive species weed. In the UK they were promoted as a way for ordinary people to rival the expensive orchids grown in the greenhouses of the rich, simply for the cost of a packet of seeds. Under the "Alberta Weed Control Act" of 2010 it is considered a "prohibited noxious weed".

Wikipedia article, video source

Puffball—Basidiomycota

Clouds of brown dust-like spores are emitted when the mature Puffball bursts, or in response to touching or falling raindrops.

The distinguishing feature of all puffballs is that they do not have an open cap with spore-bearing gills. Instead, spores are produced internally, in a fruiting body, which remains closed until the spores are ready. It then dries, becomes brittle, and splits, and the spores can escape. Most puffballs are not poisonous and are edible when they are young. Puffballs were traditionally used in Tibet for making ink by burning them, grinding the ash, then putting them in water and adding glue liquid.

Wikipedia article, video source

Snapdragon—Antirrhinum

Snapdragons resemble the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when they are squeezed from the sides.

They are native to rocky areas of Europe, the United States, and North Africa. Snapdragons are an important garden plant, widely cultivated as a border or container plant. Antirrhinum is a genus that has been used from the earliest genetic studies of Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin. It has a become model organism for the investigation of the genetic basis of plant development.

Wikipedia article, video source

Touch-Me-Not—Mimosa pudica

The small leaves of the Touch-Me-Not fold inward when touched or shaken.

Pudica means "shy, bashful or shrinking" in Latin. It is not known exactly why Mimosa pudica evolved this trait, but it is believed that the plant uses its ability to shrink as a defense from herbivores. Mimosa pudica is known in Hindi chhui-mui ("that which dies upon touch") and in Bengali as lojjaboti ("the bashful girl"). The species is native to South America and Central America, but is now a weed found in all tropical climates. The species can be a troublesome weed in tropical crops, particularly when fields are hand cultivated. Crops it tends to affect are corn, coconuts, tomatoes, cotton, coffee, bananas, soybeans, papaya, and sugar cane. Dry thickets may become a fire hazard. Aqueous extracts of the roots of the plant have shown significant neutralizing effects in the lethality of the venom of the monocled cobra. It also appears to inhibit the enzyme activity of cobra venom.

Wikipedia article, video source