Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. The common name dandelion is derived from the French phrase dent de lion – lion’s tooth, referring to the deeply serrated leaves of some species, including the one we most commonly see – Taraxacum officinale. For thousands of years, different cultures have used this plant as a nutritional food source or for medicinal purposes. It’s a strong diuretic which gives rise to the name wet-a-bed. After the seeds are set, the blossom turns into a white puff ball with wind-catching structures for dispersal called pappus. When I was little, we called dandelion seed head “tell times.” Our parents said if we blew them, counting the number of seeds left attached would tell us the time. I must say, it was a pretty unreliable time piece but still fun. Dandelions are here to stay, we might as well try to find ways to enjoy them.
All About Dandelions
