Taraxacum officinale#North American dandelions

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Taraxacum officinale grows from (generally unbranched) taproots and produces several hollow, leafless flower stems{{cite book |first=Francis |last=Rose |title=The wild flower key |date=2006 |publisher=Penguim BooksLtd. |location=London |isbn=978-0-7232-5175-0 }}{{rp|470}} that are typically {{convert|5|-|40|cm|in|abbr=off|frac=4}} tall, but sometimes up to {{convert|70|cm|in|abbr=on}} tall. The stems can be tinted purplish, they are upright or lax, and produce flower heads that are held as tall or taller than the foliage. The foliage may be upright-growing or horizontally spreading; the leaves have petioles that are either unwinged or narrowly winged. The stems can be glabrous or sparsely covered with short hairs. Plants have milky latex and the leaves are all basal; each flowering stem lacks bracts and has one single flower head. The yellow flower heads lack receptacle bracts and all the flowers, which are called florets, are ligulate and bisexual. In many lineages, the seeds are mostly produced by apomixis, notwithstanding the flowers are visited by many types of insects.{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1111/plb.12328| pmid = 25754608| title = Competition for pollinators and intra-communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers| journal = Plant Biology| volume = 18| issue = 1| pages = 56–62| year = 2015| last1 = Van Der Kooi | first1 = C. J.| last2 = Pen | first2 = I.| last3 = Staal | first3 = M.| last4 = Stavenga | first4 = D. G.| last5 = Elzenga | first5 = J. T. M.| url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273158762}}

The leaves are {{convert|5|-|45|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=4}} long and {{convert|1|-|10|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=4}} wide, and are oblanceolate, oblong, or obovate in shape, with the bases gradually narrowing to the petiole. The leaf margins are typically shallowly lobed to deeply lobed and often lacerate or toothed with sharp or dull teeth.

The calyculi (the cuplike bracts that hold the florets) are composed of 12 to 18 segments; each segment is reflexed and sometimes glaucous. The lanceolate shaped bractlets are in two series, with the apices acuminate in shape. The {{convert|14|-|25|mm|in|frac=4}} wide involucres are green to dark green or brownish-green, with the tips dark grey or purplish. The florets number 40 to over 100 per head, having corollas that are yellow or orange-yellow in colour.

The fruit, called cypselae,{{cite web|url=http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/glossary/glossary-details/?irn=1883|title=Cypsela|publisher=Steere Herbarium, New York Botanical Garden|access-date=18 February 2020}} range in colour from olive-green or olive-brown to straw-coloured to greyish, they are oblanceoloid in shape and {{convert|2|-|3|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=16}} long with slender beaks. The fruit have 4 to 12 ribs that have sharp edges. The silky pappi, which form the parachutes, are white to silver-white in colour and around 6 mm wide. Plants typically have 24 or 40 pairs of chromosomes, while some have 16 or 32 pairs.

{{Infobox enzyme

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Taraxalisin is a serine proteinase found in the latex of dandelion roots.{{Cite journal |last1=Bogacheva |first1=A. M. |last2=Rudenskaya |first2=G. N. |last3=Preusser |first3=A |last4=Tchikileva |first4=I. O. |last5=Dunaevsky |first5=Y. E. |last6=Golovkin |first6=B. N. |last7=Stepanov |first7=V. M. |year=1999 |title=A new subtilisin-like proteinase from roots of the dandelion Taraxacum officinale Webb S. L. |journal=Biochemistry. Biokhimiia |volume=64 |issue=9 |pages=1030–7 |pmid=10521720}} Rudenskaya et al. (1998) found that taraxalisin hydrolyzes a chromogenic peptide substrate Glp-Ala-Ala-Leu-pNA optimally at pH 8.0.{{Cite journal |last1=Rudenskaya |first1=G. N. |last2=Bogacheva |first2=A. M. |last3=Preusser |first3=A. |last4=Kuznetsova |first4=A. V. |last5=Dunaevsky YaE |first5=null |last6=Golovkin |first6=B. N. |last7=Stepanov |first7=V. M. |date=1998-10-23 |title=Taraxalisin -- a serine proteinase from dandelion Taraxacum officinale Webb s.l |journal=FEBS Letters |volume=437 |issue=3 |pages=237–240 |doi=10.1016/s0014-5793(98)01243-5 |issn=0014-5793 |pmid=9824298 |doi-access=free |bibcode=1998FEBSL.437..237R |s2cid=43872064}} Maximal activity of the proteinase in the roots is attained in April, at the beginning of plant development after the winter period.

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| image1 = Dandelion flower head (2008-05-04 pic02).jpg

| alt1 = Dandelion in bloom

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| footer = Dandelion flower (left) and ripe fruit

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Carl Linnaeus named the species Leontodon taraxacum in 1753. The current genus name Taraxacum derives possibly from the Arabic Tharakhchakon, or from the Greek Tarraxos. The specific name officinalis refers to its value as a medicinal herb, and is derived from the word opificina, later officina, meaning a workshop or pharmacy.

The taxonomy of the genus Taraxacum is complicated by apomictic and polyploid lineages, and the taxonomy and nomenclatural situation of T. officinale is not yet fully resolved. The taxonomy of this genus has been complicated by the recognition of numerous species, subspecies and microspecies. For example, the UK flora currently includes 239 species (of which 58 endemic and 45 non-native),{{cite web | title=Dandelion Taraxacum F.H.Wigg. | website=PlantAtlas |url=https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas/2cd4p9h.fsn |access-date=2025-03-21}} and Rothmaler's Flora of Germany accepts roughly 70 microspecies.

T. officinale has a fossil record that goes back to glacial and interglacial times in Europe.{{cite web |title=Taraxacum officinale complex (dandelion) |url=http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/52773 |access-date=2019-06-17 |publisher=Cabi.org}}

Taraxacum officinale L. (dandelion) is a vigorous weed in Europe with diploid sexual populations in the southern regions and partially overlapping populations of diploid sexuals and triploid or tetraploid apomicts in the central and northern regions.

File:Taraxacum officinale PID1200-1.jpg, Slovenia]]

These European dandelions can be divided into two groups. The first group reproduces sexually, as do most seed plants. This group consists of dandelions that have a diploid set of chromosomes, and are sexually self-incompatible. Sexual reproduction involves a reduction of the somatic chromosome number by meiosis followed by a restoration of the somatic chromosome number by fertilisation. Diploid dandelions have eight pairs of chromosomes, and meiosis is regular with normal pairing of homologous chromosomes at the metaphase I stage of meiosis.{{cite journal |vauthors=van Baarlen P, van Dijk PJ, Hoekstra RF, de Jong JH |title=Meiotic recombination in sexual diploid and apomictic triploid dandelions (Taraxacum officinale L.) |journal=Genome |volume=43 |issue=5 |pages=827–35 | date=October 2000 |pmid=11081973 |doi= 10.1139/g00-047 }}

The second group consists of polyploid (mostly triploid) apomicts, meaning that both a viable embryo as well as a functional endosperm is formed without prior fertilisation. In contrast to the sexual diploids, the pairing of chromosomes at metaphase I in triploid apomicts is strongly reduced. However pairing is still sufficient to allow some recombination between homologous chromosomes.

File:Taraxacum officinale 039.jpg, Canada]]

The plants introduced to North America, originally as a food crop, are triploids that mainly reproduce by obligate gametophytic apomixis Though sexual dandelion plants are known in North America, almost all are clones that produce genetically identical seeds through apomixis.{{cite journal |last1=McPeek |first1=Tamara M. |last2=Wang |first2=Xianzhong |title=Reproduction of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in a Higher CO2 Environment |journal=Weed Science |date=2007 |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=334–340|doi=10.1614/WS-07-021 |s2cid=86250272 }} Some authorities recognise two subspecies of Taraxacum officinale, including:

• Taraxacum officinale subsp. officinale, which is commonly called common dandelion or wandering dandelion.
• Taraxacum officinale subsp. vulgare (Lam.) Schinz & R. Keller, which is commonly called common dandelion.

A third taxon sometimes formerly considered a subspecies Taraxacum officinale subsp. ceratophorum (Ledeb.) Schinz ex Thellung, is now generally treated as a separate species, Taraxacum ceratophorum.{{cite web | title=Taraxacum ceratophorum (Ledeb.) DC. | website=Plants of the World Online | date=1935-01-01 | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:253012-1 | access-date=2025-03-21}} It has a holarctic distribution.

Taraxacum is derived from the Arabic word {{lang|ar-Latn|tarakhshagog}} (or {{lang|ar-Latn|tarakhshaqūn}}) for a bitter herb.Gledhill, David (2008). The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521866453}} (hardback), {{ISBN|9780521685535}} (paperback). pp 279, 371 It may be related to the Greek word ταρασσω (tarasso) meaning to disturb.{{verify source|date=April 2018}}

The Latin specific epithet officinale refers to the Latin word for 'medicinal' or 'of the apothecaries'.{{cite book |last=Coombes |first=Allen |title=The A to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants |publisher=Timber Press |year=2012 |isbn=9781604691962 |location=Portland, OR, US |page=40}}

T. officinale has many English common names (some of which are no longer in use), including blowball, lion's-tooth, cankerwort, milk-witch, yellow-gowan, Irish daisy, monks-head, priest's-crown and puff-ball; other common names include, faceclock, pee-a-bed, wet-a-bed, swine's snout, white endive, and wild endive.{{cite web |title=Dandelion clock |url=http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Dandelion+clock |work=TheFreeDictionary.com}}

The common name dandelion comes from the French dent de lion, or "lion's tooth", in reference to the plant's jagged-edged leaves. "Pee-a-bed" and "wet-a-bed" reflect the modern French term for the plant, pissenlit. This name and all those that imply ramped-up urine production refer to the well-known diuretic properties.{{Cite journal |title=The Diuretic Effect in Human Subjects of an Extract of Taraxacum officinale Folium over a Single Day |year=2009 |pmc=3155102 |last1=Clare |first1=B. A. |last2=Conroy |first2=R. S. |last3=Spelman |first3=K. |journal=Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine |volume=15 |issue=8 |pages=929–934 |doi=10.1089/acm.2008.0152 |pmid=19678785 }}

File:Bombus ruderarius - Taraxacum officinale - Keila.jpg

Taraxacum officinale is native to Europe and Asia,{{cite book|author1=Vít Bojňanský|author2=Agáta Fargašová|title=Atlas of Seeds and Fruits of Central and East-European Flora: The Carpathian Mountains Region|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QSMe0qHGVaAC&pg=PA751|access-date=29 October 2010|year=2007|publisher=シュプリンガー・ジャパン株式会社|isbn=978-1-4020-5361-0|pages=751–}} and was originally imported to America as a food crop.{{cite book|last1=Tekiela|first1=Stan|title=Wildflowers of Minnesota: Field Guide|date=1999|publisher=Adventure Publications, Inc.|location=Cambridge, Minnesota|isbn=978-1-885061-63-8|page=343}} It is now naturalised throughout North America (including all 50 states of the US and most Canadian provinces), southern Africa, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and India.

The plant grows in temperate regions of the world in lawns, on roadsides, disturbed banks, shores of waterways, and other areas with moist soils.

The plant is coveted by collectors in regions where the plant is trickier to grow such as the tropics, where people would often resort to smuggling seeds from overseas.{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=James |author-link=James Wong (ethnobotanist) |date=16 May 2021 |title=Why the dandelion blows away some plant collectors |language=en |newspaper=The Guardian |url=http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/may/16/the-dandelion-blows-away-collectors |access-date=9 September 2021}}

Taraxacum officinale was evaluated in 2013 by the IUCN as "Least Concern" due to a large and stable population. It was similarly evaluated by NatureServe in 2016 as "Globally Secure", G5.{{cite web |last1=NatureServe |title=Taraxacum officinale |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135912/Taraxacum_officinale |website=NatureServe Explorer |access-date=28 October 2023 |location=Arlington, Virginia |date=2023 |archive-date=28 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528085148/https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135912/Taraxacum_officinale |url-status=live }}

It is considered a noxious weed in some jurisdictions,{{cite journal|last=Stewart-Wade|first=S. M. |author2=S. Newmann |author3=L.L.Collins |author4=G.J. Boland|title=The biology of Canadian weeds. 117. Taraxacum officinale G.H. Weber ex Wiggers|journal=Canadian Journal of Plant Science|year=2002|volume=82|issue=4 |pages=825–853|doi=10.4141/P01-010|doi-access=}} and is considered to be a nuisance in residential and recreational lawns in North America.{{cite journal|last=Richardson|first=Jonathan|title=In praise of the archenemy|journal=Audubon|year=1985|volume=87|pages=37–39}} It is also an important weed in agriculture and causes significant economic damage because of its infestation in many crops worldwide.

T. officinale can serve as an indicator plant for soil potassium and calcium, as the plant favours soils with relatively low concentrations of calcium, but favours soils with relatively high concentrations of potassium.{{Cite web|url=https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening/gardening-advice/weeds-indicator-plants|title=Weeds as Indicator Plants|last=Almanac|first=Old Farmer's|website=Old Farmer's Almanac|language=en|access-date=2020-04-10}}

File:WeilerVlbg7.jpg]]

The dandelion is a common colonist of disturbed habitats, both from wind blown seeds and seed germination from the seed bank. The seeds remain viable in the seed bank for many years, with one study showing germination after nine years. This species is a somewhat prolific seed producer, with 54 to 172 seeds produced per head, and a single plant can produce more than 5,000 seeds a year. It is estimated that more than 97,000,000 seeds/hectare could be produced yearly by a dense stand of dandelions.{{cite web|last1=Binning|first1=Kim|title=Dandelion|url=https://fyi.uwex.edu/weedsci/2002/11/12/dandelion/|website=University of Wisconsin Weed Science Cooperative Extension|date=2002}} When released, the seeds can be spread by the wind up to several hundred meters from their source. The seeds are also a common contaminant in crop and forage seeds. The plants are adaptable to most soils and the seeds are not dependent on cold temperatures before they will germinate but they need to be within the top {{convert|2.5|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} of soil. Dandelions can also regenerate themselves from fragments of taproot.{{cite journal |last1=Martinkova |first1=Zdenka |last2=Honek |first2=Alois |last3=Pekar |first3=Stano |title=The Role of Nurse Plants in Facilitating the Germination of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Seeds |journal=Weed Science |date=2014 |volume=62 |issue=3|pages=474–482 |doi=10.1614/WS-D-13-00162.1 |s2cid=85658841 }}

T. officinale is food for the caterpillars of several Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), such as the tortrix moth Celypha rufana. See also List of Lepidoptera that feed on dandelions.

Even though dandelion pollen is of poor nutritional quality for honey bees, they readily consume it, and it can be an important source of nutritional diversity in heavily managed monocultures such as that of blueberries,{{cite journal|last1=Schmidt|first1=Justin O.|last2=Thoenes|first2=Steven C.|last3=Levin|first3=M.D.|title=Survival of honey bees, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), fed various pollen sources|journal=Annals of the Entomological Society of America|date=1987|volume=80|issue=2|pages=176–183|doi=10.1093/aesa/80.2.176}}{{cite journal|last1=Girard|first1=Mélissa|last2=Chagnon|first2=Madeleine|last3=Fournier|first3=Valérie|title=Pollen diversity collected by honey bees in the vicinity of Vaccinium spp. crops and its importance for colony development|journal=Botany|date=2012|volume=90|issue=7|pages=545–555|doi=10.1139/b2012-049|hdl=20.500.11794/39125|hdl-access=free}} or in early spring, as one of the first flowers to bloom.{{cite web |first=Madison |last=Dapcevich |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bees-dandelions-food/ |title=Bees Need Dandelions for Food in the Spring? |date=22 March 2024 |work=Snopes |access-date=13 January 2025 }} Honey bees have not been shown to lower their pollination activity on nearby fruit crops when foraging on dandelions.{{cite journal|last1=Laverty|first1=Terence|last2=Hiemstra|first2=Henry|title=Effects of flowering dandelions as a competitor to flowers of fruit trees for pollen-collecting honey bees in Ontario|journal=The Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Ontario|date=1998|volume=129|pages=3–8 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/139964#page/279/mode/1up }}

While not in bloom, this species is sometimes confused with others, such as Chondrilla juncea, that have similar basal rosettes of foliage.{{Cite journal|title = The biology of Canadian weeds. 117. Taraxacum officinale G. H. Weber ex Wiggers|journal = Canadian Journal of Plant Science|date = 2002-10-01|issn = 0008-4220|pages = 825–853|volume = 82|issue = 4|doi = 10.4141/P01-010|first1 = S. M.|last1 = Stewart-Wade|first2 = S.|last2 = Neumann|first3 = L. L.|last3 = Collins|first4 = G. J.|last4 = Boland|doi-access = }} Another plant, sometimes referred to as fall dandelion, is very similar to dandelion, but produces "yellow fields" later. Its blooms resemble some of the species of Sonchus, but are larger.{{cite web |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sonchus/ |title=Sonchus |work=North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox }}

Dandelion thrives in conditions of elevated carbon dioxide, growing to a higher biomass and producing a larger number of viable seeds. Therefore, it is anticipated that dandelion will become more competitive and widespread as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase.

{{nutritionalvalue | name=Dandelion greens, raw

| water=85.6 g

| kJ=188

| protein=2.7 g

| fat=0.7 g

| carbs=9.2 g

| fibre=3.5 g

| sugars=0.71 g

| calcium_mg=187

| iron_mg=3.1

| magnesium_mg=36

| phosphorus_mg=66

| potassium_mg=397

| sodium_mg=76

| zinc_mg=0.41

| manganese_mg=0.342

| vitC_mg=35

| thiamin_mg=0.19

| riboflavin_mg=0.26

| niacin_mg=0.806

| pantothenic_mg=0.084

| vitB6_mg=0.251

| folate_ug=27

| choline_mg=35.3

| vitA_ug=508

| betacarotene_ug=5854

| lutein_ug=13610

| vitE_mg=3.44

| vitK_ug=778.4

| source_usda = 1

| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169226/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]

}}

The plant has several culinary uses: the flowers are used to make dandelion wine, the greens are used in salads, the roots have been used to make a coffee substitute (when baked and ground into powder) and the plant was used by Native Americans as a food and medicine.{{Cite book | author=Clarke, Charlotte Bringle | title=Edible and useful plants of California | year=1977 | publisher=University of California Press | location=Berkeley | isbn=978-0-520-03261-3 | page=191}}

File:Plate of Wehani rice with sauteed dandelion greens.jpg]]

Dandelions are harvested from the wild or grown on a small scale as a leaf vegetable. The leaves (called dandelion greens) can be eaten cooked or raw in various forms, such as in soup or salad. They are probably closest in character to mustard greens. Usually the young leaves and unopened buds are eaten raw in salads, while older leaves are cooked. Raw leaves have a slightly bitter taste. Dandelion salad is often accompanied with hard-boiled eggs. The leaves are high in vitamins A and C, as well as iron, phosphorus, and potassium.{{Cite book|last=Benoliel|first=Doug|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/668195076|title=Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest|publisher=Skipstone|year=2011|isbn=978-1-59485-366-1|edition=Rev. and updated|location=Seattle, WA|pages=73|oclc=668195076}}

Dandelion flowers can be used to make dandelion wine, for which there are many recipes. Most of these are more accurately described as "dandelion-flavoured wine", as some other sort of fermented juice or extract serves as the main ingredient.Gibbons, E. Stalking the Wild Asparagus. David McKay, New York. 1962. It has also been used in a saison ale called Pissenlit (the French word for dandelion, literally meaning "wet the bed") made by Brasserie Fantôme in Belgium. Dandelion and burdock is a soft drink that has long been popular in the United Kingdom.

Another recipe using the plant is dandelion flower jam. In Silesia and other parts of Poland and the world, dandelion flowers are used to make a honey substitute syrup with added lemon (so-called May-honey). Ground roasted dandelion root can be used as a non-caffeinated coffee substitute.

The diuretic properties of T. officinale, believed to be a result of the plant's high potassium content,{{Citation |last=Dog |first=Tieraona Low |title=CHAPTER 18 - Urinary Tract Infection |date=2005-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780443066399500265 |work=Women's Health in Complementary and Integrative Medicine |pages=293–306 |editor-last=Dog |editor-first=Tieraona Low |place=Saint Louis |publisher=Churchill Livingstone |language=en |isbn=978-0-443-06639-9 |access-date=2022-09-14}} have been well described. The leaves of the common dandelion have been used as a diuretic in traditional Chinese medicine for approximately 2,000 years, with other regions of the world using the plant in the same way; in French, a common name for T. officinale is pissenlit, 'a colourful description of its diuretic activity'. A study conducted in 2009 noted 'promising' results regarding these diuretic properties, but that further studies would need to be conducted into the plant's efficacy.{{Cite journal|last1=Clare|first1=Bevin A.|last2=Conroy|first2=Richard S.|last3=Spelman|first3=Kevin|date=August 2009|title=The Diuretic Effect in Human Subjects of an Extract of Taraxacum officinale Folium over a Single Day|journal=Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine|volume=15|issue=8|pages=929–934|doi=10.1089/acm.2008.0152|issn=1075-5535|pmc=3155102|pmid=19678785}}

Dandelion has been used in traditional medicine in Europe, North America, and China.{{cite journal |author1=Katrin Schütz, Reinhold Carle |author2=Andreas Schieber |name-list-style=amp |year=2006 |title=Taraxacum—a review on its phytochemical and pharmacological profile |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=107 |issue=3 |pages=313–323 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2006.07.021 |pmid=16950583}}

Since asexually-reproducing dandelions produce genetically identical offspring, they are often useful as subjects for scientific research. For example, dandelions are used in studies where genetic differences between subjects needs to be minimal.{{cite journal |last1=Adams |first1=Keith L. |title=Dandelions 'remember' stress: heritable stress-induced methylation patterns in asexual dandelions |journal=The New Phytologist |date=2010 |volume=185 |issue=4 |pages=867–868 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03189.x |pmid=20356338 }}

Because of its worldwide distribution, familiarity, and presence in a wide variety of folkloric traditions, the dandelion has been highlighted as a valuable tool for educators seeking to help children of varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds connect to science through ethnobotany.{{cite journal |last1=Esprivalo |first1=Pamela Sue |last2=Forney |first2=Scott |title=Cultivating Cultural Appreciation: ADDRESSING DIVERSITY THROUGH ETHNOBOTANY |journal=The Science Teacher |date=2001 |volume=68 |issue=3}}

Yellow dyes can be obtained from the flowers but little colour can be obtained from the roots of the plant. The latex can be used as a kind of glue.{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/277203364 |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |author=((United States Department of the Army)) |author-link=United States Department of the Army |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=49 |language=en-US |oclc=277203364}}

Cultures worldwide tell stories about the dandelion and have culinary and medicinal uses for it. A Native American folktale tells the story of a golden haired girl who attracted the fancy of the South Wind. The South Wind was too lazy to pursue her, until one day he realised she had grown old and her hair had turned white. Supposedly, when the South Wind sighs over the loss of his chance to pursue the golden-haired girl, his breath sends the white-haired dandelion seeds scattering to propagate more golden-haired daughters.

• Taraxacum erythrospermum

{{reflist|1=30em|refs=

{{Cite book |author1=Britton, N. F. |author2=Brown, Addison | title=An illustrated flora of the northern United States and Canada: from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia, and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102d meridian | year=1970 | publisher=Dover Publications | location=New York | isbn=978-0-486-22644-6 | page=315}}

{{cite book|author1=Robert F. Barnes|author2=C. Jerry Nelson|author3=Kenneth J. Moore|author4=Michael Collins|title=Forages: The science of grassland agriculture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AanCgHZ1mhwC&pg=PA11|access-date=29 October 2010|date=19 January 2007|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=978-0-8138-0232-9|pages=11–}}

{{cite journal |vauthors=Lyman JC, Ellstrand NC |title=Clonal diversity in Taraxacum officinale (Compositae), an apomict |journal=Heredity |volume=53 |issue= 1|pages=1–10 |year=1984 |doi=10.1038/hdy.1984.58|doi-access=free}}

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{{cite book|last=Rothmaler|first=Werner|author-link=Werner Rothmaler |year=1966|title=Exkursionsflora: Kritischer Ergänzungsband Gefäßpflanzen|page=347}}

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• {{cite book | author=Blanchan, Neltje | title=Wild Flowers Worth Knowing | year=2005 | publisher=Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation | isbn=978-0-665-98934-6| title-link=Wild Flowers Worth Knowing | author-link=Neltje Blanchan}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Everitt |first1=J.H. |last2=Lonard |first2=R.L. |last3=Little |first3=C.R. |title=Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico |publisher=Texas Tech University Press |location=Lubbock |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-89672-614-7}} {{ISBN|0-89672-614-2}}
• {{cite book | author=Köhler, Franz Eugen | title=Köhler's Medicinal Plants | year=1887 | publisher=Gustav Pabst| title-link=Köhler's Medicinal Plants | author-link=Franz Eugen Köhler}}
• {{cite journal|last1=Vorobyev|first1=G.|last2=Alyabyev|first2=A.|last3=Ogorodnikova|first3=T.|last4=Khamidullin|first4=A.|last5=Vorobyev|first5=V.|title=Adaptive properties of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg. s.l.) under conditions of air pollution by motor vehicle exhausts|journal=Russian Journal of Ecology|date=April 5, 2014|volume=45|issue=2|pages=90–94|doi=10.1134/S1067413614020106|bibcode=2014RuJEc..45...90V |s2cid=9147896}}
• {{cite journal|last1=Kenny|first1=O.|last2=Brunton|first2=N. P.|last3=Walsh|first3=D.|title=Characterisation of Antimicrobial Extracts from Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale)|journal=Phytotherapy Research|date=April 2015|volume=29|issue=4|pages=526–532|doi=10.1002/ptr.5276|pmid=25644491|s2cid=5564213}}

{{Wikiversity-bc|Taraxacum officinale}}

{{Commons category|Taraxacum officinale}}

{{Wikispecies}}

• [http://www.northernbushcraft.com/plants/dandelion/notes.htm Northernbushcraft.com: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)]—Detailed information about edibility

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officinale

Category:Crops originating from Europe

Category:Edible plants

Category:Flora of Algeria

Category:Flora of Europe

Category:Herbs

Category:Leaf vegetables

Category:Medicinal plants of Europe

Category:Perennial vegetables

Category:Plant dyes