"We notice that the leaves are long with jagged teeth along the margin of the leaf - a toothed leaf. This gives us a number ""3"" for the leaf type category. So we end up with a code of ""723"" which takes us into that section of the locator key of Newcomb's Wildflower Guide where a couple more questions are asked/answered that send us to page 362. Now we take a look the species found on this page and we notice the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a perfect match. Bingo! We've made a quick effective identification of this plant! Additional Thoughts When using Newcomb's Method if you are not finding an exact match of your plant take note of the closest species and the family to which those closest species belong to. Then try looking up those plant families in your local plant guide. This will typically resolve identifications for the small percentage of species not included in Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Through practice you will become faster and faster at identifying plants. You will grow your observation skills and begin to see the similarities between species in the same family. Eventually you will be able to identify the family to which an unidentified plant belongs to. This further improves your plant identification skills. Best of luck in your plant identification forays!"