How many dandelions are there

Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans enjoyed the flower, and they have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years. Dandelions probably arrived in North America on the Mayflower — not as stowaways, but brought on purpose for their medicinal benefits. Dandelions were world-famous for their beauty. They were a common and beloved garden flower in Europe, and the subject of many poems.

In the terrifying New World, the cheerful face of the dandelion was a sweet reminder of home. In Japan for instance, whole horticultural societies formed to enjoy the beauty of dandelions and to develop exciting new varieties for gardeners. Dandelions are a green and growing first aid kit. The use of dandelions in the healing arts goes so far back that tracing its history is like trying to catch a dandelion seed as it floats over the grass. In olden times, dandelions were also prescribed for every ailment, from warts to the plague.

To this day, herbalists hail the dandelion as the perfect plant medicine: It is a gentle diuretic that provides nutrients and helps the digestive system function at peak efficiency.

Dandelions are more nutritious than most of the vegetables in your garden. They were named after lions because their lion-toothed leaves healed so many ailments, great and small: baldness, dandruff, toothache, sores, fevers, rotting gums, weakness, lethargy and depression. In eras when vitamin pills were unknown, vitamin deficiencies killed millions. Data from the U. Department of Agriculture reveal how dandelions probably helped alleviate many ailments: They have more vitamin A than spinach, more vitamin C than tomatoes, and are a powerhouse of iron, calcium and potassium.

Click to see full answer Similarly one may ask, where are dandelions found in the world? Dandelions are native to Eurasia, but have been introduced to North America, South America, India where it hadn't reached naturally , Australia, New Zealand and probably anywhere else where Europeans, the people, have migrated.

Beside above, how common are dandelions? Origin and Distribution: Probably a native of Eurasia, dandelion is now widespread in North America found in all 50 states and southern Canada and over 60 countries throughout the world. It has been suggested that dandelion may be the most prevalent flowering plant in Ohio. Dandelions grow everywhere : in cracks in the sidewalk, building foundations, the middle of lawns— wherever the seed lands, they grow and bloom. Seed : Production Average: An average of 15, seeds is produced per dandelion plant.

There are usually seeds per flower and up to 10 flowers per plant. Dispersal Mechanisms: Seeds can be dispersed long distances by wind because they move in updrafts. Everything, from the flower all the way down to the roots, is edible. And, dandelions also happen to be delicious. The taste of dandelion resembles a slightly bitter green like arugula. You can eat them fresh in salads, or cook them on the stove. If raw dandelion leaves don't appeal to you, they can also be steamed or added to a stir-fry or soup, which can make them taste less bitter.

The flowers are sweet and crunchy, and can be eaten raw, or breaded and fried, or even used to make dandelion syrup or wine. Identifying dandelion : For such a common weed, dandelion is easy to misidentify. Many look-alike plants have similar leaves, but dandelion leaves are hairless. Individual plants may survive for 10 to 13 years in undisturbed sites. Dandelion seeds can form a relatively persistent seedbank. This handbook is a full colour publication, 5. PDF Plant Magazines.

In-depth wild edible PDFs. Click here for more. Types of Wild Food. Edible Weeds. Edible Fungi. Edible Aquatic Plants.

Edible Flowers. Subscribe to our Nutrition - Nature's Way newsletter for the latest plants and recipes. Our Foraging Cookbook has been published and is available at Amazon. Alphabetical Plant Listing. Geographic Zones. As the name implies, this is a smaller variety of white dandelion, reaching heights of about 4 to 6 inches and featuring 1-inch, bright-white, double-petaled flowers with a vibrant yellow center.

True to their diminutive size, miniature white dandelions are more delicate and less vigorous than other types. Of course, when they're in their seeding phase, all dandelions appear as white. It's during seeding that dandelions lose their flowers and take on the familiar puffball shape, sporting round, fuzzy white tops.

This fluffy ball is actually a sphere of seeds covered in downy fuzz, which acts as a sort of parachute that allows the seeds to effortlessly float great distances on the slightest breeze. As Popular Science notes, this allows dandelion seeds to travel up to miles on the wind, sometimes landing in locales as diverse as volcanic islands — surely another contribution to the plant's tendency toward hybridization and diversity.

The common names of the Taraxacum carneocoloratum — "fleshy dandelion" or "pink dandelion" — say it all. In the summer season, this perennial sprouts strap-shaped florets with a light peachy-pink or pale-purple hue, though it only grows in its native regions of Canada and Alaska the latter of which is largely composed of USDA hardiness zones 1 through 4 , according to the University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

With a semispherical array of florets, this flower features a familiar yellow core surrounded by pastel-pink petals and is also known as the "pink dandelion. Similar varieties are available from seed sellers often uniquely developed from seed, though pink is an uncommon color for dandelions.