The last week of blogs I finally see some life at Symphony Park! I have been waiting weeks for this and they are finally here, dandelions!! Since I know for a fact from past experiences that these are dandelions I have decided to talk about the taxonomy of them. I found that the kingdom for them is Plantae which is obvious, the class is Magnoliopsida, order is Asterales, family is Asteraceae, genus is Taraxacum and species is Taraxacum also (www.itis.gov). In the other website I found some more interesting things that I did not know about Dandelions. I did not know their true name is Taraxacum Officinale meaning "the official remedy for disorders" (Williams 1). Also interesting to note is that the early colonists brought the dandelion to America from Europe (Williams 1). Eating dandelions seems gross to me but apparently people do it! They are full of vitamins unavailable to pioneers during the winter (Williams 1). I found this interesting "Eating the leaves after the yellow flowers bloom is like chewing yesterday's gum" (Williams 1). It also says how to cook them which after learning about them and learning that they have many nutrients in them I may have to try some this year if I feel daring enough! If I do I sure know where to find them!
Williams, Carol. "The Dandelion Is a Healthful,great Tasting Weed You Can Eat." The Dandelion Is a Healthful, Great Tasting Weed You Can Eat by Carol Williams. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
"ITIS Standard Report Page: Taraxacum Officinale." ITIS Standard Report Page: Taraxacum Officinale. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
I also noticed the blooming of dandelions recently. A coincidence!
ReplyDeletethe leaves are rather bitter, but I like them sautéed or in a salad. Just make sure you get them from an area without a lot of pesticide and fertilizer use and such!
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