Scientific Name
Taraxacum albidum Dahlst.
Common Name(s)
White Dandelion
Synonym(s)
Taraxacum albidum var. albidum, Taraxacum albidum f. albidum, Taraxacum albiflorum, Taraxacum officinale var. albiflorum
Scientific Classification
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Cichorieae
Subtribe: Crepidinae
Genus: Taraxacum
Origin
This species is native to the southern part of Japan.
Flower
Color: White
Bloom Time: Spring
Description
Taraxacum albidum is a perennial herbaceous plant, sometimes mistaken for Taraxacum coreanum. The deeply lobed leaves of this tap-rooted perennial plant form a basal rosette from which the long, slightly downy, unbranched flower stalks rise to 16 inches (40 cm).
It blooms once a year, usually in spring but sometimes in late fall. Each scape bears a single flower-head consisting of many small, white ray florets, opening from a rounded bud consisting of narrow green bracts. The flowers are hermaphrodite and self-fertile.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 4a to 8b: from −30 °F (−34.4 °C) to 20 °F (−6.7 °C).
How to Grow and Care
At a very basic level, you don't need to do much to grow Dandelions. Chances are there is a whole yard full of them near where you live, perhaps even right outside your door. Still, it's likely that the Dandelion plants growing in your lawn are Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale subsp. vulgare). This is the most common variety of Dandelion, but there are thousands of varieties and cultivars to be found around the world. Common Dandelion has all the health benefits mentioned above, but they tend to be a bit more bitter than some of the other varieties of Dandelion you can buy.
Dandelions are by nature a very bitter green, but there are steps you can take to reduce how bitter it is. First, grow a less bitter variety. The right variety can make Dandelion greens taste much better than the wild variety growing in your yard.
Second, try growing Dandelions in the shade. This will blanch the leaves some and will result in a less bitter leaf. Alternatively, you can manually blanch the Dandelion leaves by covering the plants a few days before you are ready to harvest.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Dandelion.
Links
- Back to genus Taraxacum
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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