DandelionTaraxacum officinale (WEBER)

Family: Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ee) Means that it is in the aster (daisy) family. It was formerly in the Compositae family. Alternative Pronunciation: ass-ter-AY-see-ay

Genus: Taraxacum (ta-RAKS-uh-kum) This is the medieval name for a bitter herb and may be derived from the Greek ‘taraxos’ (disorder) or ‘taraxo’ (caused), and akos (remedy) or achos (pain), because of the medicinal uses of the plant. Some believe that it is derived from Arabic or Persioan talkh chakok also meaning bitter herb.

Species: officinale (oh-fiss-ih-NAH-lee) Officinale is used to show that it is officially sold in stores for its pharmacological uses for it real or supposed medicinal properties.

Dandelion

The common English name "Dandelion" is a derivation of the French Dent-de-Lion, which means "tooth of the lion". This is in reference to the deeply toothed margins of the leaves. The same meaning was evident in its former Latin name ‘Dens leonis’ and in the Greek name ‘Leontodon.’ Other common names are lions-tooth, blow-ball, priest's crown, swine's snout and cankerwort. It is native to Europe but naturalized in North America and Asia.

Dandelion

Dandelion is a perennial plant with a basal rosette and yellow flowers and a 'puff-ball' seedhead.  

Dandelion is one of the most common weeds of the Northern Hemisphere. It does not occur naturally in the Southern Hemisphere. It is grown in Australia as a cash crop.

Dandelion

Young leaves form a basal rosette and are oval in shape, 5 to 15 cm long. Older leaves, which are also basal, are shiny and without hairs. The margin of each leaf is cut into great jagged teeth, either upright or pointing somewhat backwards and these teeth are themselves cut here and there into lesser teeth.

Each leaf has a groove so that all the rain falling on it is conducted straight to the centre of the rosette and to the root. A very useful adaptation for keeping the root well watered.

Future location of photo.

Dandelion

The flowers are large, bright yellow and about 3 cm to 5 cm wide. The flowers appear singly on the end of an unbranched, leafless, shiny, purplish, hollow stalk called a scape which is 5 to 15 cm tall. The scape seems to be smaller on lawns to avoid the lawn mower. On picking the flower, a bitter, milky liquid exudes from the broken edges of the stem. This fluid is found throughout the plant. It often creates a brown stain if it comes in contact with the skin. The flower contains a copious supply of nectar for the many varieties of flies and bees which pollinate it. The dandelion is an important plant in honey making as it supplies both pollen and nectar to bees.

Dandelion

The flower head closes in the rain and every night to protect it from the dew. When the flower head matures, it closes up again and forms a green bud which looks like the snout of a pig. The yellow petals wither and drop off. When the bud opens again, the flower has changed from yellow to white as if going through a metamorphosis in a cocoon.

Dandelion

The fruit is an achene that is brown, 3-5 mm long, with the familiar feathery pappus attached that disperse the seed with the slightest wind. The collection of seed on top of the stem resembles a ‘puff-ball.’ When all the seeds are gone, the top of the scape is bare and surrounded by the drooping remnants of the sheathing bracts which reminded people of the Middle Ages of the shaven head of a priest, thus the common name 'priest's crown.' The seeds are popular with small birds. Pigs, rabbits and goats, eat the whole plant but sheep, horses and cows avoid it.

Dandelion

The seedling cotyledons are light-green, smooth, and oval to spatulate in shape

The perennial roots form a deep taproot up to 1.5 cm in diameter. They are fleshy and brittle with a dark brown colour on the outside and a white interior.

Dandelion

Although gardeners consider dandelion a nuisance and some people have allergic reactions when they touch the plant, herbalists consider it to be one of the most nutrient-rich in the plant kingdom. It is considered to aid appetite loss, indigestion, kidney, gall and bladder stones, liver and gallbladder problems, dropsy, jaundice in young chrldren, constipation, urinary tract infections as well as scrofula, eczema and all eruptions on the surface of the body. It has also been used as a remedy for scurvy.

Dandelion

The whole plant is edible. It is a source of potassium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, Vitamins B, C and D. The leaves have more vitamin A than carrots. In many parts of the world a tea is made with the leaves and boiling water. This ‘herbal tea’ is an easy way to get many of the nutrients from the plant into the body.

Some uses include:• the flowers are used to make wine; • the young leaves can be boiled like spinach (mature

leaves are too bitter to eat);• leaves can be torn and added to salads, placed in a

stir fry or placed in sandwiches; • the roots can be used as a vegetable and as a coffee

substitute.

Dandelion

Receipts for teas, etc. are available on the Internet but as usual caution is recommended and consultation with a doctor is imperative before preparation of any of these. One such receipt is listed below for illustration purposes only.

To make one gallon of dandelion wine you need:

• 1 gallon dandelion blossoms • 1 gallon hot water • Juice of 1 lemon • 3 oranges, peeled and sliced • 4 lbs of sugar • 1 cake of yeast

Combine water and blossoms in a crock. Let stand for 24 hours, then strain.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Let the mixture set for 3 weeks, then bottle.

Age the bottles for at least 2 months.

Dandelion

All parts of the plant contain a milky latex juice which is used for medicinal purposes. The first mention of dandelion as a medicine appears in the 10th and 11th century writings of Arabian physicians.

Dandelion is used in many patent medicines.

Dandelion is found near the bordering roads and the parking lot in Altona Forest. It is also seen in a few places along the trails where sun penetrates to the ground.

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