Content
- The dandelion - facts in the profile and details
- In short: the features of the dandelion
- Other names and location claims
- The Dandelion in Focus: Construction and Appearance
- Bright yellow flowers
- Pusteblumen - heaps of seeds
- Poisonous properties?
- Tips
Dandelion is a very robust plant that thrives in the most impossible places
The dandelion - facts in the profile and details
It is a strong and long taproot that makes it difficult for gardeners to remove the dandelion with a jerk. However, this plant is not only known as a weed, but also a true medicinal plant. Here is an overview of their features and a detailed description!
In short: the features of the dandelion
Other names and location claims
You may also know the dandelion under the name dog flower, cow flower, milkmaid, chain flower, piss flower, dandelion, buttercup, solar vortex or monk's head. This one to several year old plant, of which there are over 400 species, has many names.
The dandelion is common on brownfields. But he also likes to settle meadows, roadsides, fields, sparse forests and gardens. Even between narrow stone joints and in masonry, he appears every now and then.
The Dandelion in Focus: Construction and Appearance
Anyone who has come to know the dandelion will quickly recognize it. He has a herbaceous growth and can tower up to 50 cm. A hollow stem filled with a white milky juice shoots up in the spring. Below forms a leaf rosette. The individual leaves are up to 30 cm long, are lanceolate and roughly serrate at the edge.
Bright yellow flowers
The yellow flowers that appear from the beginning of April are very distinctive. You are terminal at the smooth stems:
Pusteblumen - heaps of seeds
After the flowers, the stage is free for the seeds of the dandelion. They too are unmistakable and every child knows how to name them. They are commonly called dandelions. Each seed stand acts like a fluffy ball. It is a radial hair crown, which consists of numerous seeds.
The individual seeds are equipped with small Flugschirmchen. As a result, they are easily spread by the wind. Each seed is black and elongated. Self-sowing is no exception, but rather the rule.
Poisonous properties?
What is the white secretion that is in the stems? Attention: It is the so-called milk juice. It contains a lovely to slightly toxic substance called Taraxacin. It may cause irritation and, if consumed, may cause liver pain and nausea.
Tips
If you want to use the dandelion for salads etc., you better keep your fingers off the older leaves and stems and better collect the young, tender leaves.