Dandelion

The Dandelion (genus Taraxacum of the family Asteraceae) is a tap-rooted annual or biennial plant, found in most temperate zones.

Dandelions were originally widely distributed throughout Eurasia, but were introduced to North America and Australia because of their many uses. They have thrived in these new locations. The name dandelion is a corruption of the Old French, dent-de-lion, literally "lion's tooth" on account of the sharply lobed leaves of the plant.

The leaves are simple and basal, entire or lobed, forming a rosette above a central taproot. A bright yellow flower head is borne singly on a hollow "stem" (scape) rising above the leaves and exudes a milky sap when broken. A rosette may produce more than one scape at a time. The flower head consists entirely of ray florets and matures into a globe of fine filaments that are usually distributed by wind, carrying away the seed-containing achenes. This globe is called the "dandelion clock", and blowing it apart is a popular pastime for children. The plant has a taproot.

Some dandelions are apomictic and polyploidy is common. Some varieties drop the "parachute" (called a pappus) from the achenes. Ergo, there are "species" (apomictic and polyploid races) that grow only in a single meadow. This is one reason for there being a large number of described dandelion species, especially in Europe where botanists tend to be "splitters". As an example, some botanists list a few hundred species of dandelion from Finland alone. Others are inclined to "lump" these all into Taraxacum officinale.

While the dandelion is considered a weed by many gardeners, the plant does have several culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelions are grown commercially as produce on a small scale. The plant can be eaten cooked or raw in various forms, such as in soup or salad. Usually the young leaves are eaten raw in salads while older leaves are cooked. Dandelion blossoms are used to make dandelion wine. Dandelions are high in vitamin A and also are a source of vitamin C. Ground roasted dandelion root is sometimes used as a coffee substitute. Drunk before meals, this is believed to stimulate digestive functions; this product is sold in some health food stores, often as a mixture of Dandelion and Burdock. It should be noted that uncooked, the dandelion has a diuretic effect and is known in France as pissenlit (literally, "wet the bed") for precisely this reason. Dandelion root is a registered drug in Canada, sold as a diuretic.

Table of contents

1 See also 2 Species 3 External links

See also

• How to cook dandelions ~ at Wikibooks
• The Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine, Peter Gail, Goosefoot Acres Press, 1994. ISBN 1-879863-51-0

External links

• Dandelion at Liber Herbarum II
• dandelion at Plants For A Future
• Dandelion at 'A modern herbal' by Mrs Grieve (1931)
• Dandelion in Culpeper's 'The Complete Herbal'

• Picture: Quite a few of them!