3 of 6

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 6

coarsely toothed. Hollow flower stems grow from the center of the rosette and ooze a bitter, milky white juice when picked. Flowers appear in early March to May and sometimes up to November. Flowers are actually hundreds of individual, tiny strap shaped florets combined into a single flower head and are important pollen sources for honeybees. Extremely sensitive to sunlight, they open early on sunny days and close at dusk. They react to weather conditions too and will close early in the day if rain threatens. The fluffy round seed heads are especially loved by children who love to blow on them and recite all sorts of rhymes and chants. Germination of 90% of the seeds of a single plant is not unusual. Has a taproot that is almost impossible to remove from the ground in one piece and any broken off bits will produce a new plant. This taproot grows straight down and has been known to reach a length of 3 feet or more. It has a useful purpose as far as nature is concerned for it transports minerals, especially calcium up to the surface of the soil from deeper levels enriching it for the benefit of more shallow rooted plants. When plant dies, the root channels left in the soil are helpful to earth worms. It is characterized by a thick primary root topped by a stem and a rosette of usually deep lobed leaves. Each flower head is borne on its own scape, or stem, up to 1.5 feet high. Both male and female structures are present in the flower head, but seeds develop without pollination or fertilization. The seed, a small fruit (achene), has silky hairs that make it easily windborne.

CONTAINS: Contains 14,000 international units of Vitamin A and 35 mg of Vitamin C per a 100 gram serving. Recommended daily allowance is 5,000 IUs of Vitamin A and about 75 mg for Vitamin C. The greens have 2 times the Vitamin A content of spinach.

USES: Flowers are gathered as they appear during the growing season; roots in late summer and early fall; green leaves as needed. All parts of the plant - root, leaf, buds and flowers, are edible. Although generally thought of as a weed, dandelions also are grown for their edible young leaves. The flowers, also edible, can be used in wine making. The young leaves in spring are fancied by many in a salad. As plant ages, they get tough and are very bitter tasting. Taste is removed some by blanching, otherwise, need to soak them several days in cold water. Excellent salad is made with young, preferably blanched leaves with onions, radishes, parsley and

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Benefits of eating dandelion roots?
We want to hear your view. Write now!