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| Dandelion; Taraxacum officinale Weber |
Sunflower Family; COMPOSITÆ (ASTERACEÆ)
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| Common Dandelion, a perennial weed from Europe, ranks as the premier weed in the minds of many, even as we deem Oak king
of the forest, Lion king of beasts, and Eagle greatest of birds. It has been praised in poetry, played with by children, eaten as a
vegetable, employed medicinally, made into wine, had extracts used in commercial flavoring, and been subjected to vast amounts of weed-study
and literature. |
| How earns it such fame? Most important is its strikingly
adaptable biology. In this respect, it is like humans. It grows in a remarkable variety of sites, holds strong resurrective power, and reproduces prodigiously. In short, Dandelion carries the characteristic traits of weedhood to an extreme, to a polished perfection. Could we design a worse weed if we tried? Yes, theoretically. But let's not. |
| Because it is so fast, adaptable and persistent, Dandelion is indeed a difficult weed to control. Let each of us fight it as best we
can. I think the keys are an almost mindless- or machine-like diligence and ruthlessness. In any case, its good qualities deserve fair
consideration, so some are listed here. |
| In its own right it is truly a beautiful plant, especially in April when it makes its chief display of fresh leaves and bright flowers.
The largest, healthiest specimens seen in full bloom are marvelously sumptuous. A flowerstem from my garden in 1980 measured over 38
inches high! |
| Someone found two apple orchards similar to each other except that one had many Dandelions and the other had essentially none.
The Dandelion one bore better crops. |
| Its valuable properties to herbal practitioners include: aperient, cholagogue, diuretic, stomachic, and tonic. |
| All parts, except perhaps the seeds, are edible raw or cooked. Its repulsive bitterness is more bearable by our remembering to eat
the plant in earliest spring; to use its parts in mixtures of greens rather than as a single dish; and to reflect on the extra-high levels of
vitamin A and calcium we're receiving. Be that as it may, I still prefer eating several less-bitter Dandelion cousins: Cat's-Ear, Nipplewort, and
Sow Thistle. |
| "Dandelion" is corrupted from the French
Dent de Lion and, in turn, from the Latin
Dens Leonis. That is, Teeth of the Lion.
Other old English names include: Blowball, Puffball, Irish Daisy, Piss-a-Bed, Monk's Head, and Crow Parsnip. |
Redseed Dandelion is a close cousin
(Taraxacum lævigatum) with red seeds, not olive or brownish ones. It also differs in being
smaller, having its leaves more deeply slashed, and in being found more often in shady areas such as under large maple trees.
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Originally published as the Seattle Tilth newsletter Weed of the Month in April 1987, along with an illustration from a book. The lovely painting above was done by, and copyrighted by, Patricia Spencer.
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