Dandelion

In spring, we sometimes come across a meadow covered with bright yellow flowers. We find these plants along roadsides, too. Sometimes we spot them in unusual places, such as in the cracks between paving stones. They have sharp, jagged green leaves. These are deeply cut and look a little like a lion’s teeth. They grow to 10 to 30 cm long. Because of these leaves, we call the plant a dandelion. Other countries have different names for it. In France, the plant is called "Pissenlit". Translated, this means "wet the bed". That’s because you can make a salad from its leaves. They contain substances that help the body get rid of water. So if we eat this kind of salad, we need to go to the toilet more often. And that can sometimes lead to an accident during the night ...

Dandelion has been used as a medicinal herb for centuries. Dandelion leaf tea is said to help combat spring fatigue, and its ingredients are also believed to relieve liver, gallbladder and intestinal complaints. Today, we especially value dandelion honey. We owe it, however, to bees, which, like other insects, love to visit dandelion flowers. They collect nectar from the flowers and turn it into honey. But a colony of bees has to visit more than 100,000 flowers to make one kilogram of honey. Bees are very industrious. Dandelions grow long stems, each topped with a flower head. At the bottom, the flower head has bracts that curl outward and soon die off. Above them is a ring of green bracts enclosing numerous yellow ray florets. The bracts open during the day and close at night and in the rain. This provides good protection for the ray florets. Each ray floret develops into a fruit containing many seeds. When the fruit is ripe, the flower’s coverings dry out and fall away.

The above-ground part of a dandelion grows to about 10 to 30 cm tall. The stems that bear the flowers are hollow inside, which makes them very sturdy. Like the roots, they contain a sticky milky sap. Rubber can be made from this sap. It leaves brown stains on the skin. Dandelion roots can reach up to a meter into the ground. We call them taproots. These roots are so strong that they can lift walls and grow into sewer pipes, damaging them. Dandelion roots were once dried, ground, and used as a coffee substitute.

Once the flowers have formed, fruits develop inside them. Eventually, the plant sheds the yellow petals of the ray florets. The fruits that remain are equipped with feathery parachutes. These parachutes let the wind carry the fruits far away. New plants can then grow from the seeds they contain. This is how dandelions spread over a large area. However, the fruits must land on soil where the seed can take hold and then germinate. The parachutes are very light. Even children can blow them away with little effort, which is why dandelions are also called “blowballs”. - Images: Hamsterkiste