That old nemesis ... the Dandelion - Part 2

While most people refer to the dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, as a weed it has been used for varying purposes throughout history. From medicinal uses to added ingredients in salads and drinks. In French it is reportedly referred to as pissenlit, meaning "piss in bed", a reference to its diuretic properties used in herbal medicine. It's effectiveness as a diuretic is attributed to the high levels of potassium salts found in the plant and capable of replacing the potassium lost from the body when using the plant as a diuretic.

Other uses include utilizing the white latex sap from the plant in the treatment of warts and corns. Reportedly, daily applications can cause the wart to blacken and fall from the body. There have also been reports of antibacterial action from the plant effective against such bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus dysenteriae. A tea made from the plant has been used as general tonic and also for treatment of kidney problems, gallstones, jaundice and urinary tract disorders.

The leaves have been used in salads. In the book Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas, it is indictative that the plant is very nutritious , with 100g of the raw leaves containing about 2.7g. protein, 9.2g. carbohydrate, 187mg Calcium, 66mg phosphorus, 3.1mg iron, 76mg sodium, 397mg potassium, 36mg magnesium, 14000iu vitamin A, 0.19mg vitamin B1, 0.26mg vitamin B2, 35mg vitamin C.

The plant is known to produce seeds asexually by apomixis, where the seeds are produced without pollination, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant. This attributes to the plants successfully ability to populate an area quickly. It is also reported that due to production of ethylene gas it aids the plant by inhibiting plants close by to successfully flourish. The plant also disperses it seeds in the wind allowing the plant to propagate a large area successfully. This is a microscopic view of one seed with it's "parachute" attached.

So while this plant is rarely recognized as a desirable addition to the landscape it does remind us of the usefulness of all plants. The least desirable plants we encounter can be found to have once played important roles in many cultures. The plant is still one of the most important plants for bees by being one of the first pollen sources bees emerging from their winter survival and venturing out will find in the spring. While the use of these plants may have faded from the normal use in our culture today, with renewed research into the many components produced by plants through their normal life cycles, there may be new discoveries to help in the treatment of many ailments and diseases we experience.

That old nemesis ... the Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale, commonly referred to as dandelion has awakened and reminded us of its presence. This perennial is a herbaceous plant found throughout North America and Canada, even into Puerto Rico and Hawaii according to USDA distribution maps. One popular account for it's name comes from the Old French word dent de lion, meaning lion's tooth, referring to the deeply lobed leaves of the plant.

The common dandelion is generally referenced as, and treated as, a common weed. Now one can always argue that a weed is merely a misplaced plant. As an example, this definition would define a soybean plant growing in the middle of my tomato plants as a weed. Or maybe the presence of butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa, voluntarily existing in the midst of my petunia's. So as you can see, to identify a plant as a weed takes only the consideration of the individual identifying the plant as a weed.

But in the case of the dandelion, it is recognized as a weed under the classification as an invasive and noxious species. This definition does no better than the definition of weed we have already discussed. Noxious by definition refers to something that has harmful characteristics. So you can see we're going to face the same question as before; harmful to who? Or maybe more accurately, harmful to what?

So let's close our opening discussion of the dandelion in this manner. As a plant the dandelion is a very successful survivor in the evolutionary process acting upon the plant kingdom. Consideration of its distribution range alone places it on a scale of acceptable admiration. It contains an arsenal of survival mechanisms to allow it to respond to just about any element nature, or man, can throw at it. It's tenaciousness deserves reference in any encouragement offered to anyone facing tumultuous times or circumstances. So let's admit while it may exist in many places we would prefer it to refrain from, we should re-consider demeaning this organism by calling it names like "weed". Or maybe not......

Next time I will discuss some of the beneficial characteristics, along with some brief natural history facts surrounding this plant. Until then, try and enjoy the dandelions that are blooming. Momentarily forget the amount of time, effort and money you expend on trying to defeat this "enemy" of suburbia landscape, and consider the heralding of more beauty to come that is being announced at the onset of this new season upon us.

What are those yellow weeds growing in the fields and yards?

For the last several weeks around middle Tennessee there have been an abundance of yellow flowers clustering across fields and throughout many large yards. I have had many people asking me what they are and how do you get rid of them, to which I reply they'll be gone in a few weeks. Well at least the blooms will be gone. Come on everyone, at least admit they are a rather striking flower with their waxy and brightly colored yellow blooms standing erect with the green of the spring grasses behind them. Many folks around here have even committed of late how each year there seems to be more and more of these flowers popping up in everywhere. And yes, that would be an astute observation concerning this "wild" perennial.

So what is this flower? Well it actually goes by several common names, but the one I am most familiar with is Meadow Buttercup. Some folks call it Tall Buttercup, but it's scientific name is Ranunculus acris, a member of the Buttercup family. It is commonly recognized as an invasive species as reported by the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, as well as other recognized resources. It is found throughout North America and Europe. It reportedly is native to Europe, but was introduced into the North America ecosystem and has done very well as many have noticed. It can reach heights of 1-3 feet, with it's one-inch yellow blooms residing on its somewhat spindly stems extending skyward from the somewhat hairy plant.

The plant is considered poisonious, and with some people it can cause contact dermatitis due to the presence of the glucoside ranunculin. Everyone notices that horses and cattle will not eat the plant and this is also due to the presence of ranunculin which can cause inflamation of the digestive system, however, it is safe when found dried in hay. The name acris means sharp and pungent describing well the juice from this plant. While the plant has reported uses in folk or Native American medicine, it is generally advised to avoid the use of this plant due to the toxicity.

The Meadow buttercup employs both seed and vegetative reproduction but seed appears to be the most common method. Interestingly it is reported that the plant passes the winter as a rosette of small leaves that apparently are unaffected by frost. Due to short rhizomes vegatative reproduction occurs very close to the parent plant resulting in very tight colonies of individual plants.


While the plant may be invasive it does provide a striking color against the vivid greens of spring grass. As with most invasives that have established themselves in an area, eradication is difficult and time consuming. There have been reports of some species developing resistance to herbicides but I have not seen reports of acris being resistant. So some broad leave weed killers may be effective in controlling the plant, but for me I think I will just enjoy the yellow flowers from April till late May and control the ones I can through mowing.

Today I took my daughters and we went to Cedars of Lebanon for the annual Elsie Quarterman Glade Festival. While it was raining and cloudy it was still a good day to get out with the girls. As my daughters have been developing a desire to spend time with me outdoors photographing the flowers we find, it is always a rewarding time even on a cloudy day. While we did see a few flowers, we didn't spend much time out in the weather since my oldest daughter has been recovering from a bad virus. But we did stop long enough for her to jump out of the van and get a picture of this Ox-eye Daisy,Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, growing on the roadside.

We plan on many days ahead going out and visiting various locations around the state and identifying wildflowers and taking photographs. We expect to find some we are unable to identify and hope to meet some new friends on this blog that can help us with identifications. Maybe some folks can even suggest some great areas for us to visit and find a good variety of flowers and plants to photograph. I know we will be returning to the glades on sunnier days to spend more time looking for many of the plants we heard talked about today. In future posts I plan to share some natural history on the flowers we find as I research and learn more about the wildflowers of Tennessee. I hope some followers will share additional information to allow us all to learn more about the fascinating world of plants.

We have a lot of flowers and plants to identify over the next 4 or 5 months. I will be slowed down a bit by some knee surgery I have to take care of and will probably miss 4 -6 weeks of prime time, but that will just make me more eager to stick to the therapy plan following the surgery. So over the next few weeks while I'm laid up I will share some of the plants we have photographed over the last few weeks.