tohetaka
1. (noun) native dandelion, Taraxacum magellanicum - a perennial rosette herb distinguished by its unbranched tubular stem and sharply toothed, hairless leaves. Yellow flower heads are made up of many narrow petals. Found south of Auckland from montane to subalpine grassland.
He tohetaka te rongoā a taku māmā (HP 1991:21). / My mother's remedy was the native dandelion.
2. (noun) one who habitually sleeps in, late riser, sleepyhead.
E moe tonu ana te tohetaka (W 1971:430). / The sleepyhead still sleeps. (A saying about a late riser, likening a person to the flower of a native dandelion that doesn't open until the day is well advanced.)
