Thirteen Things You May Not Know about Dandelions" by

Wilda Morris
Dandelions are the joy of small children who make chains and gold crowns or blow seeds into
the wind. On the other hand, they are the bane of those who want a smooth green lawn. In my
hometown, the dandelion, Taraxacum officinale to botanists, is one of the most prevalentshall
I say weeds or wildflowers? It is a determined and aggressive plant, spreading itself through
lawns. You knew that already, of course. But did you know:

The name dandelion comes from the French Dent de Lion, meaning lions teeth.
Dandelions were called lions teeth in Latin and Greek before that name came into the
French language. Most people think the name comes from the sharp points of the leaves.

Estimates of the number of seeds produced by an individual dandelion differ; the number
probably depends in part on the size of the flower. The lowest estimate Ive seen for
seeds produced per head is 54 to 172; another sources says 125 to 300. Several sources
say that a single dandelion plant can produce 2000 seeds in one year. The wind can blow
the seeds on their little parachutes (properly called pappus) for many miles, and they can
survive long journeys floating and blown about in the ocean.

The dandelion is native to Eurasia. Beginning in the 1600s, English, French and Spanish
settlers brought dandelions to the North American continent for medicinal uses, and
perhaps for food and for making dandelion wine. Beekeepers are said to have brought
them to this continent so they could continue to make dandelion honey.

The earliest record of dandelions comes from Roman times. Medicinal use dates back at
least to the 11th century, when Arabic physicians determined that dandelions were
helpful in combating certain liver conditions. In the centuries before researchers
discovered vitamins and minerals, no one understood exactly how dandelion leaves
helped prevent or cure certain ailments; they just knew that they did.

The leaves of young dandelion plants are a source of fiber, iron, calcium, magnesium,
zinc, beta carotene, and vitamins B, C, D, and E. They are eaten in salads, added to stews
and even pancakes, and cooked like spinach (though they have to be cooked a little
longer).

Dandelions are cultivated by farmers in some areas, to control the quality of the plants
used for food and herbal medicine.

You may have heard of dandelion wine, but did you know that dandelion beer is made in
Canada, or that dandelion roots are used to make a caffeine-free coffee substitute? Did
you know you can make tea from the roots, leaves or flowers of young dandelion plants
that have not been subjected to lawn chemicals? Directions for all three kinds of
dandelion tea can be found on the Internet.
 In 1995, it was reported that Mme. Roseline Fontaine, who lived in central France, made
dandelion jam each spring. She said it required 365 flowers to make three 1-pound pots
of the jam. You can read more about her at http://articles.latimes.com/1995-11-
09/food/fo-960_1_white-wine.

Dandelions are beneficial to some wildlife. They are favored by several kinds of
butterflies as well as numerous insects. Their seeds provide food for small birds. Rabbits
munch their leaves.

Dandelions themselves do little damage to the ecosystem. Their roots may actually help
to aerate the lawn or field. However, the many gallons of chemicals used (often
unsuccessfully) to eradicate them cause the deaths of many small birds and seriously
pollute the ground water.

In the old days, dandelions are said to have served as clocks in some rural
communities. When the blossoms opened in the morning, it was time to go to work.
When they closed up in the evening, the workday was over and it was dinner time. It was
also said in some communities that if a child could not blow all the seeds off the
dandelion in three or fewer attempts, it was time to go home; Mother was waiting.
Blowing the seeds away is not too difficult, so this test may have revealed that the child
was getting tired and needed rest or for a meal.

Dandelions play a role in many stories composed over the centuries. One of my favorites
is the story by Hans Christian Anderson, explaining why the apple blossom has a pink
tinge. You can read how the sun convinced the apple blossom of the worth of dandelions
at http://spellbinders.org/story/the-proud-little-apple-blossom/.

Dandelions have long been beloved not only by children, but also by poets from James
Russell Lowell (who described them as an Eldorado in the grass) to Walt Whitman
(who wrote of the dandelions trustful face). My poem may not be as elegant as theirs,
but I hope you enjoy it.

Weeding

So often scoffed at as the enemy of lawns,

that one last dandelion we missed
blinks her golden eye in disbelief,
watching me pull the grass
growing among the daffodils.

An earlier version of this essay was published in the Bolingbrook Patch on May 4, 2012.
Wilda Morris, Workshop Chair for Poets & Patrons of Chicago, and a past president of the
Illinois State Poetry Society, is widely published in print and on the Internet and has won
numerous awards for her poetry, including two Pushcart nominations. Her book, Szechwan
Shrimp and Fortune Cookies: Poems from a Chinese Restaurant, was published by RWG Press.
Wilda Morris's Poetry Challenge at http://wildamorris.blogspot.com/ provides a poetry contest
for other poets each month. For several years, she wrote an occasional nature blog for
the Bolingbrook Patch, an on-line newspaper.