Some people Call These Beautiful Flowers Dandelions

Dealing with Dandelions

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Many people want a lawn which is completely free of weeds, including dandelions. Before you use herbicides, however, remember that dandelions can be beneficial to your yard and your health. Also, be aware that there are less hazardous ways to kill and remove weeds. This article discusses how to create a healthy lawn and techniques for removing and controlling dandelions.

Benefits

Dandelions can be beneficial to a garden ecosystem as well as to human health. Dandelions attract beneficial ladybugs and provide early spring pollen for their food.(1,2) In a study done at the University of Wisconsin, experimental plots with dandelions had more ladybugs than dandelion free plots, and fewer pest aphids, a favorite food of the ladybugs.(2) Dandelions long roots aerate the soil and enable the plant to accumulate minerals,(3) which are added to the soil when the plant dies.

Not only are dandelions good for your soil, they are good for your health. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a serving of uncooked dandelion leaves contains 280 percent of an adult's daily requirement of beta carotene as well as more than half the requirement of vitamin C. Dandelions are also rich in vitamin A.(4, 5)

Dandelions are also used as herbal remedies. The white sap from the stem and root is used as a topical remedy for warts. The whole plant is used as a diuretic and liver stimulant.(6)

Identification and Biology

The dandelion is one of the most common and recognizable weeds. The official name for the dandelion is Taraxacum officinale,(7) which means "official remedy for disorders".(4) There are many common names for dandelions, including priest's crown, Irish daisy, monk's head, telltime, blowball, and lion's tooth.(4)

The dandelion is a broadleaf weed, with a deep, fleshy tap root. What looks like a dandelion flower is actually many tiny yellow flowers surrounded by leafy bracts.(8) They are produced on stalks 6 to 40 centimeters tall (2.5 to 16 inches) clustered at the base of the plant.(7)

The common dandelion is a biennial or perennial plant which reproduces by seed.(7) The seeds spread with the help of their downy parachutes.(8)

People often confuse the common dandelion with the false dandelion, Hypochoeris radicata. The false dandelion looks similar to the common dandelion(7) and can be controlled with the same methods.(9)