Talk:Taraxacum

Cancer

Recent resarch suggests that the root extract might cause cancer cells to "commit suicide" http://www.canada.com/health/Windsor+scientists+land+grant+study+dandelions+effect+cancer/6488106/story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3a+canwest%2fF75+%28canada.com+National+News%29 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.34.234.221 (talk) 20:27, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

Untitled

from the article: "found in most gardens. during the summer months" -- I find it hard to believe that dandelions are found in gardens in all parts of the world. I know of them in Europe; beyond that I have no idea. Could someone clarify? --Tarquin

Dandelions are present in America, Australia, New Zealand, India, China and Canada and are seen in Japanese recipes - is there anywhere they aren't? Maybe desert climates? They are very widespread because they are used as medicine and cuisine. Many people don't see them as weeds. --rmhermen

Thanks. I just thought we should check. They're weeds in my garden... ;-) -- Tarquin

point taken about weeds. NPOVed to say considered as weeds. Tarquin

RM, I live in a desert climate (Clovis, NM) and they thrive here. Marc W. Abel

They are widespread in the Western Cape of South Africa which has a warm-temperate Mediterranean-type climate. I would doubt dandelions would grow in the Tropics though: I did not see any in Cuba for example. Booshank 17:33, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

In South-West Australia I never saw dandelions but cape weed was commonly called dandelion: perhaps that's what you have in the Western Cape of South Africa? Mind you it was thirty years ago, and for all I know "real" dandelions have arrived there too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Campolongo (talk • contribs) 12:52, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

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Basically, it's a temperate zone plant. A friend of mine in Southern California tried and failed to grow dandelions; apparently they need winter. I've noted that in the article. Does anyone know where they originated? Vicki Rosenzweig

Several websites call them of "Eurasian" origin not that that helps much. They were apparently first noted by Arab writers in the 10th century but it didn't mention where. Arabs were widespread by then too. They are listed as growing in Australia and Mexico so I would have thought they would grow in southern California too. The University of California (http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7469.html) says the dandelions grow year round in the entire state except in the mountains. This page aslo says that dandelions go back to Roman times as a medicine and food. --rmhermen

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Is there a set policy on the gardening section of the 'pedia? We have recipes, so should we have gardening tips? I can say that dandelions are hard to get rid of; they have very long roots. I find the only way to keep dandelions under control is:

• catch them early when they only have a few leaves
• rip off any flowers that form to prevent seeding
• tackle the big ones with trowel or spade. There's a weeding tool like a long v-shaped trowel that's very good for them too. -- Tarquin

It seems if any root fragments are missed; new plants will grow from them: turning one to five. Can anyone cofirm this.? (G Nelson)

If you do not eradicate them, you are in for a root awakening! -phma

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Is a description of the plant needed? Not being any sort of biologist, I've come up with this so far:

The plant grows as a cluster of narrow, fairly dark green leaves, up to (?)25cm. Flowers grow on firm stems of up to (?) 40cm

But "firm" is the wrong word. "self-supporting"? hmm. Tarquin

Well, also the leaves grow outward from a center over the taproot; and the stem extends from the center too. The leaves are oval with wavy edges ... not dissimilar to the inner leaves on romaine lettuce, but laid flat on the ground. Also, breaking the stem releases a milky substance. Just what I remember from high school, when I had a yard.  :-) --KQ 19:26 Aug 19, 2002 (PDT)

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Is the table overlapping the text for any body else? This is happening with all right or left aligned tables in IE 5 on Win 2k. --mav

I believe this problem is specific to Internet Exploder. It looks lovely in Mozilla. --Brion

Cooking Dandelions

Dandelions make a great free meal. Not only are they high in nutrition and very good for you - they also taste great! Here's what to do to make your own dandelion delicacy: Find some flowers in your yard or field that are not right by the road and all the polluting traffic. Young plants are a little less bitter but older ones will do fine. With a knife, cut the whole plant at the top of the root so that is comes out of the ground intact. You should snap off the yellow flowers that have already opened up, but be sure to leave any unopened buds - these are the tastiest part! Once you have given your pickings a good washing to get off all the dirt, stick them in a pot with enough water to just cover and boil until they are nice and soft. When the water turns yellow replace it with fresh water and reboil. This will get the bitterness out. When they are all done they will have the consistency of cooked spinach. Strain and dress with butter, a squeeze of lemon, or vinegar. Mmmm. Nothing tastes better than a free meal! Another option for the dish is to mix the dandelion with little pieces of fried bacon. This enhances the taste of the dandelion.

This is hardly encyclopedic but could be reworded and made into a real recipe under cooking dandelions. --mav

It's now under How to cook dandelions. - Montréalais

I added to the article that they are edible. Maybe more people will begin to eat them! --User:Weedgarden

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Sorry, I've gone for an image prune on this article... I don't think it needs a ==More images== section. "Wikipedia is not a mirror or a repository of links, images, or media files". - MykReeve T·C 20:23, 7 May 2005 (UTC)

I restored the image of the halictid pollinator, as it is needed to illustrate an important part of the life cycle. Studying plants without reference to their pollinators is not very good botany. There needs to be more pollination info on this and most plant pages. Also needed is a photo illustrating actual seed dispersion in process - a tough photo to take, but it would be a good illustration. Pollinator 21:20, May 7, 2005 (UTC)

In the article it says "with numerous apomictic microspecies". Actually i thought they were all asexual. If they are asexual why would they need pollinators? Is there a source that indiactes that some species of dandelion are sexual? Otherwise we should axe the photo of the halictid pollinator since it is very misleading. David D. 23:41, 14 July 2005 (UTC)

They are not exclusively apomictic, at least most zones of southern Europe. The presence of mixed sexual-apomictic populations seems to be linked to higher temperatures, but the subject is still being studied. It seems that sexual and apomictic population still have a genetic contact at some degree, this is why all dandelion flowers are so coloured, produce nectar and attract pollinators. I think this can be interesting, do you think I should write it in the main article? I lost the link that proved this completely, but see this. (Excuse me for my poor english) Aelwyn 23 June 2006 (UTC)

Say, I wonder

Do you think this picture could have a place in the article?

Floaters

I want to add it, but I don't want to just remove someone else's picture in a well-established article. On the other hand, the article is rather full and I don't want to just add it and make more bloat. What do you think?

I think it's a valuable illustration of a part of its life cycle. I would wish the photo were clearer, but I realize that this is an exceedingly difficult shot as well. I'd go for it. Pollinator 02:11, September 6, 2005 (UTC)

Well, you have to understand, there was probably less than 1/3 an inch of depth of field in this shot. I was using an 8x zoom camera with a close-up lens on the end. I tried my best though! I'm not too sure where to add it though. One of the pictutes needs to be replaced, because otherwise it will be too cluttered. It's already pushing it.PiccoloNamek 02:17, September 6, 2005 (UTC)

Believe me, I DO understand...Pollinator 03:10, September 6, 2005 (UTC)

I like the pic and would add it. Marc W. Abel

There seems to be alot of folk medicine and remidies passed off as simple fact and actual medicine in the article. A good going over of these sections is necessary I think.--Deglr6328 06:54, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

Etymology

I was going to post a entry on the meaning of its offical name Taraxacum officinale, does it really mean official remedy for disorders? I can't confirm it.

See the page for Taraxacum officinale. Not an "official" remedy, but a plant that is used in the pharmacy (Latin officina). Nadiatalent (talk) 20:54, 25 April 2010 (UTC)

Origin

I've always heard that Dandelions were native to Europe/Asia and were spread to the Americas by settlers. This was backed up by a quick search.[1] The article says otherwise so I will go through and change it.--Bkwillwm 19:29, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

Picture/development

I'd quite like the article to have a short series of photos, maybe at the bottom, showing the development of the plant/flower, as it took me many years of studying the plant in the garden to realise the petals didn't turn into the floaters! I'm willing to go out and take the photos if needed, if they aren't available, but I thought I'd ask here first as people seem to be aiming to keep the photos to a minimum. Skittle 22:31, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

I think that if the information they provide is useful, there won't be a problem. The issue isn't so much with too many pictures, it's with too many unnecessary pictures. Presumably the two pictures currently at the top (the 'clock' and the open flower) would either fit in your sequence or be replaced by your pictures anyway. A series that showed bud to seed metamorphosis would also be useful in the flower article as well. Matt Deres 16:55, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Excellent. I shall have to get a decent camera and do the job. Good pictures at the top. Skittle 10:09, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

Okay. It's easy to find nice images of the full flower Image:Löwenzahn-JJ5.jpg Image:Taraxacum plant.jpg and of the full clock Image:Dandelion clock.jpg Image:Taraxacum_officinalis DSC02041.JPG Image:Taraxacum_officinale0.jpg. There's a nice one showing the dried flower still attached to the emerging clock Image:Dandelion head.jpg and an interesting one that shows two stages of clock development at once Image:Taraxacum 2005 spring 005.jpg. There are even a couple showing nearly empty clocks, which show the bobbly top the seeds attach to (I prefer the second one) Image:Gewöhnlicher Löwenzahn Taraxacum officinale agg. detail.jpg Image:Paardebloem zaadpluis.jpg.

What I still need are pictures of the flower bud and opening flower, possibly of the dying flower too. I shall see what I can do. Just off to learn about sizing of images! Skittle 10:33, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

The picture that shows a closed bud of dandelion is actually a closed flower of coldsfoot (Tussilago) a wet area plant, as demonstrated by the background of horsetail (Equisetum) another wet place loving plant. Tussilago seems to be an invasive in the USA. The Tussialgo has some bracts along its stem (shown on this article picture) whereas the dandelion stem is smooth. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jcaime2 (talk • contribs) 23:56, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

It's a lovely photo, but indeed not the right plant. Deleted. (Also, it shouldn't be described as a "flower".) Nadiatalent (talk) 14:53, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

This is to do with development, but not pictures: I looked at this entry to find out when dandelions flowered and when they produced seeds, but no infornation about the timing is given. Would a general indication of the time of year be possible or helpful? Eg 'flowers in early Spring' or 'produces clock-heads in late Summer/early Autumn' The dipper (talk) 02:13, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

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— Preceding unsigned comment added by The dipper (talk • contribs) 02:04, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

Not really. In some areas they flower in the spring, but mowing, warm weather, plenty of soil moisture etc. can also bring them back into flower. Nadiatalent (talk) 01:20, 10 January 2012 (UTC)

what is a dandiloin used for

My teacher gave me a project to do on dandiloins and i don't know what a dandiloin is used for. Can you please explain it to me.

simpler

It would be nice to have some simple parts in this article, and have it more divided up to make it more accessible. If it is too dense, it will not be useful--Filll 15:19, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Caffeic Acid

I checked, and that appears to be correct. I would favor leaving it in. I do not know why we should remove it. It is interesting.--Filll 22:23, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Reading through the Caffeic Acid page, it seems to suggest that Caffeic Acid has shown Carcinogenic and anti-carcinogenic properties, depending on who's research you look at. AlexNifty 12:05, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

We could remove it if it is too confusing. On the other hand, it is interesting and does point out that "natural" products are not necessarily all safe. If we wanted a to strike a more balanced note, we could also mention its anti-carcinogenic properties. I point out that it is very possible that caffeic acid DOES have both carcinogenic and anti-carcinogenic properties.--Filll 13:30, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

No Edit War

I do not want to get into an edit war with Nhelferty, but he or she seems to not want any mention of the results of multiple studies suggesting that caffeinic acid is a carcinogen. Just slashing stuff mindlessly is not helpful. He now seems to have moved up the section heading for his discussion of "antioxidants" to make it far more prominent, rather than a subsection under uses. I think there needs to be some other input here.--Filll 22:32, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Hi, I am an innocent standard reader of this page, and this section is definitely inconsistent with the Caffeic Acid page. The Caffeic Acid page is quite clear, the outcome of the carcinogen behaviour depends on the concentration. Please, clarify this. Chatmann (talk) 18:10, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I think that it would be most useful to put the caffeic acid and other nutrients under a heading like "compounds found in dandelions" or something similar. As it is now it is too prominent a mention of something that there are still a lot of questions about. The whole carcinogenic vs. non-carcinogenic part can be left out entirely that way and if readers do what to read about the acid they can go to the page on it. G8briel (talk) 19:52, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Dandelion Wine

There ought to be a mention of this use of the dandelion. —ExplorerCDT 03:39, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes its a very common use of dandelions and a good diuretic properties. Think outside the box 12:34, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I just checked and its already been added... Think outside the box 12:36, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Height

The article appears to claim that dandelions do not grow higher than about a foot, but there is a plant in my garden greenhouse which is a good seven feet tall. Is this sufficient as a source to modify the article? Robin S 13:36, 4 April 2007 (UTC) -I think they adapt for survival. I have observed that if you continue to pick the tall flowers before they go to seed the plant gets shorter and shorter till it barely clears my lawn. This practise also seems to weaken them consideralby.(Greg Nelson: May 27, 2007)

Edit: Just discovered that the giant dandelion has recently been uprooted (I last remember seeing it a few months ago, and it's been there for years). I promise however that this is not a hoax! Robin S 13:44, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

I've seen plants that look very similar to dandelions and grow as big as you've described. I don't think they are dandelions though, but may be related. Think outside the box 10:11, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Or maybe it was a Sunflower? Think outside the box 18:38, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Quite possible a sow-thistle (Sonchus spp.). --Graminophile (talk) 22:43, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

How to kill weeds

Anyone interested in writing about ways to kill weeds? Bleach, salt?VK35 20:11, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

It should be. I will add it if i have timeDog jumper100 04:29, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. This is a plant which is nearly universally regarded as an unwelcome visitor that will dominate your yard if you let it. Methods of removal - ecologically sound or otherwise - need to be addressed.

Cupid's shaving brush

Cupid's shaving brush may be worth merging or redirecting here. - Nabla 00:02, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

It's not a dandelion, but rather Emilia sonchifolia. I've moved the article to its scientific name.--Curtis Clark 02:49, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. - Nabla 23:03, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

Life span

Does anyone know the life span of a dandelion? I have observed that picking the flowers seems to weaken them. Is this true? Are they perennials? Answers appreciated? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.153.0.243 (talk) I am Greg Nelson.May 27, 2007.

They are perennial. Aelwyn 10:55, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

I also would be interested in knowing about the lifespan. Perennial doesn't necessarily mean they never die, I hope anyway. I have also observed that picking them seems to weaken them, ie. they don't grow as tall and seem to wilt somewhat. Leewrangell 03:41, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

They do die of course, they're not immortal! Usually herbaceous perennial plants can survive for several years. Picking them surely weakens them. Their source of food are the leaves!

Dandelion word French origin ?

Dandelion ( Dent de Lion in French (tooth of Lion) ). Do you think, the origin of the name is from old french language, I've heard that that it could be the shape of the edge of leaves could remind some teeth of lion. Can somebody search this ?

many thanks.

This article I found confirms just that: http://www.gardenology.org/wiki/Dandelion --Weedgarden (talk) 16:06, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

Is any part of the plant toxic ?

e.g. can you just pick a dandelion and eat the flower? (even though it might taste bad)

Yes. My Mom told me about this crazy woman who lived in their nieghborhood who used to eat danelions. I don't think they are good for you though.

I eat kilos of dandelions every spring, they taste very good (cooked as spinach). Someone use the flowers to make a syrup. I don't like it very much its bitter-sweet, but it's definitely safe to eat. Only be sure to be able to recognise the plant (extremely easy). Aelwyn 08:56, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

The flower and the leaves are both very nutritious. You can also make a kind of coffee from the root. Cooking and roasting however destroy nutrients. The taste may be intense and might take a while to understand but only if you chew it properly and arent consuming any excito-toxins. The flower is an important food for the bees, so i just stick to eating the nutritious leaves and make sure there is plenty to go around. Why buy weak vegetables when you could have the best ever in your backyard for free? However, sprayed foods are very toxic and should be avoided at all cost. You can generally tell if something has been sprayed if it is near a road or foot path. Out in the wild people generally dont care to poision foods that dont look enticing. Philbeer23:33, 27 November 2007

The dandelions in this part of the world (Pacific Northwest) are very bitter, to the point of being unpalatable. They are so unpalatable that they get spat out on tasting. I have heard, however, the secret to making dandelions palatable, is simply that you must soak them in salt water before you taste them. Soaking is supposed to get rid of the awful taste. 216.99.219.178 (talk) 01:56, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

Citing Wikipedia?

I noticed the first citation is a Wikipedia article. Should this be?

Interesting articles and sources

I used this to provide a citation & add a bit of info, but it has a lot more good stuff in it. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/living-green/dandelions.html. ColtsScore 15:05, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Tagged as needing cleanup and unreferenced

There are quite a few sections of this article that need revision. Here are a few issues:

• Almost every sentence of the introduction begins "The Dandelion".
• "They are known as pests or weeds to the common person" - define common person.
• Portions of the description sound like opinion, and no facts are cited.
• The Dandelion "Clock" is referred to as a "parachute ball" in the "Dandelion Snow" section.
• The formatting of the Name section appears to be messed up - there is a large gap between the heading and the beginning of the text.
• The Name section needs cited references - especially with the claims regarding "pissenlit"...
• The Uses sections sounds like a regular snake oil advertisement. "cleansing tonic for the liver", "purify the blood" are prime examples. A lot of claims are made that I highly doubt would hold up to scientific scrutiny.

75.17.194.3 23:47, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

common person - would that be The man on the Clapham omnibus?? The modern equivalent is presumably something like the person on the Easyjet. Clean-up of Uses is well overdue imhoPlantsurfer 08:05, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

I have never heard the ripe seed head called a "clock" until today. From what I can tell, it comes from a child's game where the number of blows to remove all the seeds being the time. This strikes me as an "un-encyclopedic" word choice, rather like calling an apple stem a "husband-picker" (hold onto the stem and twist once for each letter of the alphabet, your husband's name will start with the letter you said that the stem came off). I'm guessing it's almost never past 3 o'clock and all Williams are doomed to remain single. Myridon (talk) 16:35, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

There can be few native English speakers who have not heard it. The name dandelion clock is referred to in the Oxford English Dictionary, and gets 63,900 hits on Google, so I think you will find it rather well embedded in the culture. Plantsurfer (talk) 17:34, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

Any reason why dandelion clock has not been added to the article (as mentioned here above)? In Britain, at least, it is a common expression. --Robinson weijman (talk) 11:55, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Macrospecies?

I am not a botanist, but I'm having trouble believing there is any such thing as a macrospecies as mentioned in the "Description" section. I'm going to change it to "microspecies" if no one minds. --Milkbreath (talk) 19:18, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

If you don't know, don't change it.--Graminophile (talk) 19:42, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

It should be microspecies. I've changed it. Lavateraguy (talk) 19:49, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Macrospecies is a correct term used to describe the species complexes with in dandelions, the term might be a bit obscure for this page with out a definition. Hardyplants (talk) 22:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

WikiProject Food and drink Tagging

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Dandelions are flowers.

It has gotten to the point that dandelions are "Weeds" and is the thing most people wants to "not" grown in their yards. Coming from a very big farm, I played in "yellow fields" that were (and still are) covered with a weed called a Dandelion. I hope they grow in Heaven. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.180.21.64 (talk) 19:02, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

This page isn't a soapbox for your daily thoughts. If it doesn't pertain to the article, comment on it or bring up relevant points, why post here, especially with religious thoughts? Dandelions are also a green and, imo, the leaves are eaten more than the flowers in many parts of the world. -98.154.249.46 (talk) 06:22, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

Nature of leaves

Even File:Dandelion2500ppx.JPG and File:Eightyfivedandelion.JPG give a grossly inadequate view of the leaf structure, in keeping with the accompanying article's gross neglect of the subtopic of the function of the dentate leaf. My uninformed conjecture is that the indentations serve (on the assumption that leaf continues to grow near its base, not just from the tip) to push over again grass blades that have escaped around a side of the dandelion leaf after having been bent over by that leaf. If i am right, this explains why a long, not wide, leaf is efficient for the plant: it shades many grass blades, that otherwise would be vertical, from both flourishing and shading its own leaves, complementing its strategy of producing, early in the season, copious seed that disperses inches above the short early grass and disperses into the immediate surroundings. Seems like a good example of strategy shaping structure, and (unless i'm just wrong) i'd be surprised if the plant is not a powerful teaching tool.
--Jerzy•t 20:18, 25 April 2010 (UTC)

Species info on the genus page

I'd like to propose that the entire section called Properties and Uses should not be on the genus page, it belongs only with Taraxacum officinale. Nadiatalent (talk) 12:21, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Not an invasive species?

I'm not surprised that dandelions could be a valuable, attractive wildflower and salad green in their native range, but why is there no mention at all, anywhere in the article text, that this is an extremely aggressive invasive species artificially introduced by humans into most of its range and now causing harm to many ecosystems around the world? It is considered one of the most noxious and harmful invasive species according to National Geographic, yet the article only goes on about how great and underappreciated it is. I agree that all species should be valued for their intrinsic value and useful properties, but this article is one-sided and has a huge gaping hole. Refusing to even acknowledge the harm caused by introducing exotic species is irresponsible. A well-researched, responsible, and balanced article would at least mention that species which are valuable and important to one ecosystem can become extremely invasive and destructive when artificially transported to a different ecosystem. The Taraxicum officinale page doesn't admit that it is invasive and harmful on several continents, either. -- 97.127.94.120 (talk) 03:27, 21 June 2010 (UTC)

This is the encyclopedia anyone can edit - that means you too. If you have the article to back up what you're saying feel free to add something to that effect with proper references. Obviously if we haven't read the National Geographic article we won't know what's in it. Nobody gets paid for writing these articles, we're all just volunteers who put them together from the information we can find. If you look at the top of this page you'll see that this article is rated "C" which means it's still under development - so, don't complain about what others haven't done - fix it! Richerman (talk) 10:40, 21 June 2010 (UTC)

There is a bit on the Taraxacum officinale page, e.g. "a nearly cosmopolitan weed". Do you have an article that proves that it is harmful, rather than just an opportunist weed where there has been human disturbance? Nadiatalent (talk) 11:55, 21 June 2010 (UTC)

Allergies

The article mentions that, although dandelions are typically seen as weeds, they in fact are beneficial to lawns. I always assumed that the main reason for wanting to rid your lawn of dandelions was the allergies that they can cause when the seeds are flown about in the air. Anything on that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Loveguga (talk • contribs) 12:16, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as "hay fever", is a reaction to inhaling thousands of microscopic pollen grains or particles of dust (not seeds) which irritate the airways and produce an allergic reaction. The seeds of a dandelion with their parachutes attached are far too big to inhale without you noticing and, if you did, it would only be one or two and I would think you would cough them up fairly quickly. Richerman (talk) 22:09, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

ID please

File:Taraxacum_officinale_in_Pacifica.JPG Thank you.--Mbz1 (talk) 21:47, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Its does not look like Taraxacum officinale, without images of the foliage its not going to be easy to ID the correct genus, let alone species.Hardyplants (talk) 22:02, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

The id that it already has, Picris echioides looks plausible. Nadiatalent (talk) 12:24, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

They must have found someone that new it, because it was named Taraxacum_officinale. I am not familiar with Picris echioides, I looked up some pictures and like the prickly look of the stems. Hardyplants (talk) 17:50, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

It is certainly cute. Nadiatalent (talk) 18:50, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

Pronunciation

I see that the pronunciation is given as /ˌtæɹa.ˈk͡səkɯm/. This indicates primary stress on the third syllable, secondary stress on the first. This sounds weird to me, and I have never heard it. Indeed, it sounds so weird that I am sure I would have noticed if I ever had heard it. It is also highly implausible that a polysyllabic word should have the primary stress on a schwa. But I thought I'd better check before changing it; maybe somewhere it really is pronounced like that.

Also, the IPA includes a dot, whose meaning is not explained on the IPA page. I will remove it, unless someone can explain its presence. Maproom (talk) 22:35, 18 December 2010 (UTC)

This has now been put right by Curtis Clark. Maproom (talk) 21:07, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

What about mentioning that children like blowing dandelion seeds?

I wonder if it would be a good idea to mention, that in the USA at least as far as I know, that kids tend to enjoy blowing on the dandelion seeds to watch them fly. I wonder if maybe kids in the UK have some kind of fairy mythology that ties into this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.167.228.177 (talk) 01:55, 7 May 2011 (UTC)

Problem with link

External link 10 is for sale. Can someone delete it or replace it with a better source? 20tongenious (talk) 22:33, 3 April 2012 (UTC)

"A herb" or "an 'erb"

I've reverted the change to "an herb" from "a herb", which was made with the edit summary "US English is preferred to UK, except for UK-specific topics". The preference for US English is contradicted by WP:ENGVAR which states "The English Wikipedia prefers no major national variety of the language over any other." The wiktionary entry also states clearly that dropping the h is to make "an 'erb" is not universally used in the U.S. I would also remark that if a majority of editors in the English wikipedia start to impose Americanese as the only acceptable spelling except on a few pages, then I for one will stop contributing to what I had hoped was an international and collaborative effort. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 00:54, 25 August 2012 (UTC)

Most sources agree that plant is not native to the Americas

The info below can easily be found and According to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the common dandelion originated in Asia and Europe. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association explains that the dandelion probably found its way to the North America on the Mayflower, and that settlers likely brought the plant along for its medicinal qualities.

Original Distribution: Though the dandelion has been carried from place to place since before written history, it can at least be said that the plant is native to Europe and Asia. The earliest recordings can be found in Roman times and use has been noted by the Anglo Saxon tribes of Britain and the Normans of France. In the tenth and eleventh centuries there is mention of dandelions used for medicinal purposes in the works of Arabian physicians. and Site and Date of Introduction: Dandelions have spread throughout the northern hemisphere for so long that it is difficult to determine their nonnative status. It has been noted however, that the Puritans found dandelions to be so useful that they brought them to settle in the new county.

Could some please edit and reference the part that says: "They are native to Eurasia and North and South America," This is a statement that is not considered to be fact. Nearly all sources attest it was likely introduced by European settlers shortly after their discovery of the Americas. 76.105.95.139 (talk) 20:10, 13 July 2014 (UTC)

The sentence you quote refers to "Taraxacum ... a large genus of flowering plants", not to the common dandelion. It is supported by the source cited. Maproom (talk) 22:27, 13 July 2014 (UTC)

It occurs to me that you are not responsible for the confusion between "Taraxacum" and "dandelion". The dandelion, despite being the world's most widespread and best known wildflower, does not have an article of its own. Instead, dandelion is a redirect to Taraxacum. This feels like a mistake. Maproom (talk) 22:57, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

It's not a mistake. The word "dandelion" is used for most, if not all, of the taraxacaca. Richerman (talk) 13:51, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

Ok. Then I am tempted to add a gallery of pictures of different species to the Taraxacum#Selected_species section, to make it a bit more obvious that this article is about more than one species. Would that be a good idea? Maproom (talk) 14:15, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

I think that would be good. Also, it would be good if the lead images were not Taraxacum officinale but some rather different-looking species. Also, I've just created a request at Talk:Dandelion_(disambiguation) to change that problematic redirection of Dandelion to Taraxacum, by renaming Dandelion (disambiguation) to Dandelion. Opinions are invited there. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 16:30, 16 July 2014 (UTC)

I have added a gallery. It includes images of the inflorescences (flowers) of the species listed above it, where I could easily find a good color picture. It can easily be improved – for instance, by cropping some of the images to make them all the same size. I may get round to doing this myself, but I'll have to start by learning how crop works. Maproom (talk) 15:13, 19 July 2014 (UTC)

Common name

I am placing the "common name" of this species at the front of the lead per Wikipedia naming. While I appreciate scientific naming, Wikipedia has shown over-overwhelmingly to support the common name over that of scientific classification. Our esteemed Wiki-lawyers have done their job well in trying to make this confusing but ultimately this is arguably the name as used in most reliable sources. I am not, however, on a renaming crusade. At the same time I am against editors renaming against the common name, moving to some "project" decided name that does not reflect common usage, or blocking (attempting to block) efforts to move to a common name. At this point I am simply making a long standing Wikipedia consensus correction of alternative names, listed in bold, early in the lead. Maybe at some point I will be able to make these corrections as routine maintenance without controversy. Otr500 (talk) 15:23, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

This article is not about a species, but a genus. However its member species all have names like "Korean dandelion", so I won't disagree. Maproom (talk) 16:01, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

I had observed that the name was used with broad application in many species and although I did not look at all of them, but ventured into some sub-species and micro-species, just enough to realize that the name was common among very many, I had come to that conclusion. Thanks, Otr500 (talk) 19:22, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Native in South America?

I don't think Taraxacum are native in South America, although some species have been introduced there. If I am wrong, please provide a source.Plantsurfer 10:56, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

Seed dispersal

"A number of species of Taraxacum are seed dispersed ruderals that rapidly colonize disturbed soil...". I would have thought one of the reasons dandelions are so successful is their ability to grow in undisturbed soil. Of course they will grow in disturbed soil too, but they are not usually the most visible first weeds to grow there. I may rewrite the section - need to find refs first. Newburyjohn (talk) 07:06, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

Coltsfoot in False Dandelions

@PlantSurfer: I had added Coltsfoot Tussilago in the False Dandelion section. on the Tussilago Wiki page it states that they are similar to Dandelions. We have coltsfoot here where I live and people call them Dandelions because they are so similar and easy to confuse with Dandelions. PlantSurfer removed the coltsfoot but I would like to suggest that coltsfoot be put back in the False Dandelions since it is already listed on its own page as similar.Pubwvj (talk) 11:25, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Where I live people don't call coltsfoot dandelions, but that is hardly the point. There are a number of dandelion-like plants with yellow dandelion-like flowers, many with milky latex and leaves in a basal rosette. That is uncontroversial and can be supported with a source. Coltsfoot can be distinguished from dandelions by the lack of a basal leaf rosette or milky latex, by flowers that emerge long before the leaves, leaves that are much larger and quite different from those of dandelion, and are not produced in a basal rosette, flowers with ray and disc florets (whereas dandelions do not have disc florets) etc. Your claim that people where you live call them dandelions is not notable. However, if you think the point you made is notable and can find a reliable secondary source that supports it you are more than welcome to include it in the article. Plantsurfer 15:25, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

@PlantSurfer: The point isn't that people do or don't call coltsfoot dandelions. The point is on the Wiki page for Coltsfoot (Tussilago) it clearly states that Coltsfoot are confused with Dandelions. Thus why I added Coltsfoot to the False Dandelion section. The source is Wiki. Either the Coltsfoot page should have Dandelion removed from it or Coltsfoot should be added to the False Dandelion section of this Dandelion page. People do confuse the two so when they're coming to Wiki trying to identify what they're seeing it helps to have the cross reference. Pubwvj (talk) 16:22, 25 May 2015 (UTC)