The Dandelion – The Most Common Of Flowers

Dandelions, possibly the most common yellow flower in the entire world.  We all know them, have seen them, and most likely encounter them in our lawn (or try to kill them).  And most of us probably have fond memories blowing the seeds into the air to watch them float away with almost no breeze, or maybe you picked small bouquets of them for your mother.

And you have probably heard many people rant about them – some positive and some negative.  For instance some people eat them, make wine with the flowerheads, or keep them so the bees have ‘something to eat’ in early Spring. While many other people view them as nothing but a nasty weed that blemishes their view of a lush, green lawn.  But have you ever wondered what makes them tick, or grow?

I’m going to cover all you need to know about botany, cultivation, faunal associations as well as an overview of traditional uses of this pernicious weed. Belonging to Europe and Asia, this tenacious weed has colonized the whole world save for Antarctica, and I will help you better understand just how these pesky little weeds grow. 

Facts

• Dandelions are short-lived perennials, living less than 5 years (if not poisoned by a person).  But they are herbaceous meaning they die back to the ground in Winter^[1].
• Extremely tough, not only can they grow in nearly any soil conditions, they can take extreme cold of zone 3^[1][2][3][4].
• The common name Dandelion is derived from the French common name, ‘dent-de-lion’, which means ‘Lions Tooth’^[1]
• There are two primary species present in North America, Taraxacum officinale and Taraxacum erythrospermum 
• Dandelion leaves and flowerheads are edible & nutritious, but often bitter in the heat of summer or in times of drought^[5]
• We all know they are prolific seeders, but are you aware that each plant can produce upwards of 20,000 seeds in a single growing season?
• Hard to kill, the deep taproot from an established Dandelion Plant can easily reach 3’ deep^[6]. 

Native Range of Dandelions

The native range of both species of Dandelion cover Europe and Asia.  However, these plants are just as prolific in your yard as they are in the rest of the world.  The Dandelion is invasive and has colonized everywhere but the permafrost and deserts!

Reference Table

Scientific Name	Taraxacum officinale, Taraxacum erythrospermum
Common Name(s)	Dandelion
Native Range, USDA Zone	Europe, UDA hardiness zones 3-10
Bloom Time	Spring to Fall
Bloom Duration, Color	Constant, Yellow
Height	3-12″
Spacing / Spread	6″
Light Requirements	Full sun to part sun
Soil Types	All
Moisture	Dry to medium
Fauna Associations / Larval Hosts	Bees, butterflies

Identification and Characteristics of Dandelion

Stem/Stalk

The dandelion plant itself doesn’t have a stalk per se, but the stalk you are noticing is usually the brown to red hollow stem for the flowerhead. That being said, there is a short stem, up to approximately half an inch that begins under the soil and goes up to the basal rosette leaves^[1].

Leaf

Leaves of a dandelion are a basal rosette that stays close to the ground.  A basal leaf is usually 2-10” long, oblanceolate shape, being more narrow at it’s base and wide towards it’s outer tip^[1].  The leaf edges (margins) are irregular and dentate or wavy.  The leaves often fold along a central green vein (can be red at base) that is round and contains a milky sap or juice. 

Leaves may have sparse white hairs when young, but are normally hairless as they mature.  When young the leaves taste fine, but in the heat of summer they get a bitter taste.

Leaves of T. officinale vs. T. erythrospermum

The two types of dandelions you may encounter look almost identical.  The primary way to tell them apart though is that T. erythrospermum will have much deeper lobes and the seed will be reddish-brown.  Where as T. officinale leaves may not have any lobes, or more shallow lobes.

Flower

Flowering stalks emerge from the center of the basal rosette (one or many) on hollow round stems that are reddish green to green.  At the end of each stalk is a single flowerhead that is about 1” diameter (25.4 mm)^[1].  Now I’m going to repeat myself here, a dandelion will only have a single flowerhead on a stem (other species in the aster family can produce more flowerheads per stalk).

Flowerheads are covered with hundreds yellow ray florets that are spreading away from the center (up to 250)^[4].  The flower heads do have a distinct scent that is fairly pleasant.

There are also small green leaves at the base of the flowerhead known as bracts.  These are usually linear or lanceolate in shape and point or curve downward, which is a key botanical feature when identifying the dandelion.

Several weeks after blooming each floret will make a single seed that is usually brown, very small, and has a somewhat triangular cross section.  There will be a small tuft of white hairs attached with a stem to the seed.  And an entire seedhead resembles a white hemisphere/globe that is quite distinct. 

And as you probably have already observed many times in your life, these tufts of hairs enable the seeds to travel for long distances.  And that is exactly how this plant spreads – by seed.

Typically there will be a large bloom in Spring, sporadic blooms in summer and Fall.  However, one may think they get a large round of blooming again in Fall, but these are most often new plants that germinated following the Spring bloom.

Dandelion flowers in the UV spectrum

Once fascinating feature of the hundreds of tiny flowers that make up a dandelion flowerhead is that they reflect UV light differently relative to their position on the flowerhead.

As you can see in the image below, the individual flowers on the outer diameter of the flowerhead are reflecting UV light, while the center is not reflecting. This contrasting pattern may be an evolutionary response to attract honeybees, who can detect ultraviolet light.

Root

Growing conditions

Dandelions will grow best in full sun, medium-moist soil, and clay-loam to sandy-loam soil.  But as you already know, as long as it can get a few hours of direct sun and some form of soil that doesn’t totally dry out or isn’t completely wet…..well, it will manage to grow there too!

The fact is that dandelions are one of the most prolific plants in the whole world.  Cracks in a sidewalk?  No problem, dandelions can grow there.  A barren wasteland abandoned lot?  Dandelions will be one of the first colonizers.  These plants have a weedy reputation for a good reason.

Maintenance

Maintenance?  Ha!  You either have to learn to live with them, or constantly battle them throughout the growing season in your yard and gardens.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer?  Dandelions don’t need no stinking fertilizer to grow!  They’ll be fine with in some barren hellstrip on a sun-drenched street.

How to Grow Dandelions from Seed

The snarky answer I want to give here is that you don’t need to do anything to grow them from seed.  Just get a bare patch of soil and wait about a month during Spring.  The dandelion will just show up.

But seriously, if you want to grow them from seed you need to plant the seeds on the surface of the soil. Germination rates can vary between 40-90% depending on light/temperature conditions. But you will need to keep the seeds moist^[7].

So, just fill a suitable container with moist potting soil and tamp it firm.  Then, scatter some seed on top and press it in with your thumb.  The seeds should germinate within a couple of weeks.

Faunal Associations

Pollinators

The flowerheads of dandelions are attractive to a wide variety of pollinators. Charles Robertson in his 1929 study found over 18 species would feed on nectar or pollen. The species he observed included 5 long tongued bees, a half-dozen short-tongued bees as well as some pollinating flies and butterflies^[8].

There are other insects that will eat the pollen, leaves, seeds, and even the roots such as various beetles aphids, and moth caterpillars.

Birds

Believe it or not, birds have been known to eat the seeds such as sparrows, finches, and grouse^[1].

Mammals

Bear, deer, various livestock and voles will graze on the leaves. 

Uses of Dandelion

Edibility

The basal rosette leaves of Dandelions are edible raw or cooked. There is a market for them, and we’ve even had USDA agriculture standards for grading them^[9][10].

But, many people over the years have consumed the greens and flowerheads raw, made tea from the leaves, and even wine from the flowers (as they contain nectar). There are numerous recipes for eating dandelions. The only real caution I will give in regards to eating dandelion leaves is to make sure they haven’t been previous sprayed with herbicide.  Many herbicides can take several weeks to show effect, so, know where you are foraging from!  Also, the sap in the leaves and stem contain latex, which some people are allergic.

Leaves

Yes, you can eat the leaves of dandelions fresh,  boiled, or sautéed. Although younger, smaller leaves taste better before flower buds appear, but blanching or cooking often reduces the bitterness^[12].

Once they grow to full size, as is common later in the season, they get a bitter taste (or in dry or hot conditions).  If harvested later in the season, it is recommended to boil them twice with a change of water^[11].

And there are quite a few nutrients present in the leaves.  You will want to wash any part of the plant you intend to eat though, as they often have small insects or dirt on the leaves.

Flowerheads

Flowers can be eaten fresh and should be used right away as they wilt soon after picking.  The nectar will give a bit of sweet taste, and wine can be made from these flowerheads.

Roots

The roots are edible, but one should eat them with caution.  The problem is they can have a diuretic effect, which is likely the origin of another common or folk name, ‘pissabed’^[1].

But the roots can be used as a root vegetable similar to turnips. Early in the Spring it can be peeled and boiled twice, with a small amount of bicarbonate soda added to the first boiling^[11].

Another use of the root is as a substitute for coffee throughout the entire year. You roast them like you would coffee beans until they are fully dry and the entire cross section is dark. Then, grind them up and brew 1 tsp per cup of water^[11].

Garden Uses

As a resident of North America, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a real ‘garden use’ of Dandelions. They are generally considered a weed, as given enough time they seem to invade every patch of bare ground. That being said, I do know and have met plenty of homeowners who let dandelions flourish in their lawns for decoration as well as for ‘helping bees’.

Companion Plants

Turf grass? No really, they seem to grow with just about anything!

Medicinal Uses

You may have heard about Dandelions having positive health benefits, and it is true. It has been shown that the Dandelion will inhibit or reduce bacteria and fungal growth^[13]. There are a large number of flavinoids and other chemicals present within the plant, and it is thought that these are the mechanism by which it can fight common germs^[6].

Additionally, research has shown anti-inflammatory effects, improving overall heart health in rats who were fed a high-cholesterol diet. The rats were fed leaf and root extracts, with the effect of having their LDL lowered, raised the HDL (“good” cholesterol), reduced oxidative stress, and limited the extent of atherosclerosis^[14].

There are also numerous health benefits of eating Dandelions (the green leaves, and root in particular). They are high in antioxidants, contain many nutrients such as vitamin A, C, K, as well as calcium and potassium^[15].

Native American uses

The fact that the dandelion isn’t native to North America didn’t stop the Native Tribes from finding numerous medicinal and culinary uses. Tribes from the North Eastern Iroquois to the South Western Apache all used the plant from treating a panacea of issues, using various parts to treat various symptoms. And there were even a wide variety of food uses as a vegetable or pot herb^[16].

Final Thoughts

While Europe has the longest history with the dandelion, and have enjoyed it’s beauty, edibility, and contribution to the ecosystem for centuries, the dandelion’s relationship with the rest of the world is more complicated.

While it is true that humans all over can eat this plant, and many pollinators will enjoy it’s nectar, unfortunately introducing new species into an ecosystem often has major drawbacks that aren’t always obvious. The aggressive nature of dandelions, especially in areas where it has been introduced will take away areas for local native plants to grow, which will harm the local ecosystem in the long run.

When local caterpillars have less plants to be hosted on, or native bees can’t pollinate their preferred flowers, their populations will suffer in ways that we often don’t notice until real damage has been done. But, no matter – one thing is certain, the dandelion is here to stay. So, at this point I feel it is better for us to adapt to it rather than spend much effort fighting it!

Find more native plants here