Scientific Name
Taraxacum aphrogenes Meikle
Common Name(s)
Paphos Dandelion
Scientific Classification
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Cichorieae
Subtribe: Crepidinae
Genus: Taraxacum
Origin
Taraxacum aphrogenes is endemic to Cyprus.
Flower
Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: October to December
Description
Taraxacum aphrogenes is a perennial lactiferous rosulate herb that grows up to 5 inches (12.5 cm) tall. Leaves are arranged in a rosette, simple, and divided almost to the midrib into unequal bluntish suborbicular lobes. They are fleshy, oblong, up to 3.2 inches (8 cm) long, and up to 0.8 inches (2 cm) wide.
Te flowers are yellow and appear from October to December.

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. However, chances are there is a whole yard full of them near where you live, perhaps even right outside your door. Still, the Dandelion plants growing in your lawn are likely Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale subsp. vulgare). This is the most common variety of Dandelion, but thousands of varieties and cultivars are found around the world. Common Dandelion has all the health benefits mentioned above, but they tend to be a bit more bitter than some 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 result in a less bitter leaf. Alternately, 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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