Dandelion

Hardy perennial groundcover for meadows and wild gardens. Bright yellow flowers provide early season color. Deep taproot makes it excellent for breaking up compacted soil. Self-sows readily, creating natural drifts. Works well in cottage gardens, wildlife areas, and as a living mulch in orchards.

All parts medicinal. Leaves are bitter tonic, diuretic, and liver cleanser. Roots support liver function, aid digestion, and act as gentle laxative - harvest in fall when inulin content peaks. Flowers used in skin preparations. Fresh latex from stems traditionally used for warts.

Young leaves excellent in salads when picked before flowering. Flowers make wine, jelly, or can be battered and fried. Roasted roots serve as coffee substitute. Unopened buds can be pickled like capers. Rich in vitamins A, C, K, and minerals.

Vital early nectar source for over 90 insect species including bees and butterflies. Seeds feed goldfinches and other birds. Deep taproot (up to 3m) mines nutrients from subsoil. Attracts beneficial predatory insects. Indicates compacted or clay-rich soil.

Basal rosette of deeply lobed leaves with toothed edges. Hollow, leafless flower stems exude milky latex when broken. Bright yellow composite flowers made of ray florets only. Distinctive white puffball seed heads. Flowers close at night and in rain.

Not applicable - herbaceous plant with no woody tissue. The milky latex has been researched as a potential source of natural rubber.

Name derives from French 'dent de lion' (lion's tooth) referring to jagged leaves. Each seed head contains 50-170 seeds that can travel up to 100km on wind. During WWII, Russians cultivated related species for rubber production.