From dent-de-lion (french for tiger’s tooth) named after possibly the jagged leaves or lions mane-like yellow crown. Also known by many other names.
I, too, am not sure why I decided to read a book on dandelions but it was really fun. I am now inspired to make dandelion coffee and wine.
No one knows where the folk tale of making a wish on a dandelion originates; some say you have to blow all of the seeds off in one puff. Another version of that is you make a wish when you catch a flying seed. But then you have to let it go in order for your wish to come true. Other superstitions include being able to tell the time, the number of children you’ll have, whether your mother is looking for you, or whether your love is true by whether you can blow all of the seeds in one breath or based off of the number of seeds left. Such a lovely thought about folklore!! To be passed on for so long and eventually lose track of origins, kept alive only by continued faith.
Dandelions are a seral species, meaning they grow in desolate, harsh environments usually after disasters such as fires. They’re the first to take root and help prepare the soil for the softer plants to come. One reason they’re so good at proliferating lawns is because the pedicured lawn is perpetually a “war zone,” continually sheared and sprayed with chemicals. They are also one of the first to grow following winter, before other food sources are readily available.
Dandelions weren’t always considered weeds. They aren’t native to the Americas, brought over from Eurasia, but as for invasive species, they aren’t particularly harmful. They require sun and only thrive in the desolate areas where no others would. They used to be valued for their nutrition, medicinal uses, and familiarity of home.
Dandelion salad, coffee, wine, and more! Chock full of vitamins and other things I don’t remember. Helps ya fight scurvy aye. Diuretic, also known as “piss-a-beds.”
Also very widely used in medicine!
Each “petal” is actually an individual flower! (a composite flower.) If they can’t cross-pollinate, they self-pollinate which leads to those white puffballs. Each puff can have 150-200 seeds.
The roots grow deep down and spread wide. Each snipped root or stem can grow into a new dandelion. A hydra, basically.