Dandelions have a complicated taxonomy. Almost all of the aggregate’s flowers are apomictic, therefore local strains are more likely to emerge. Over 200 micro-species were identified and divided into 9 categories in a previous flora of the British Isles.
In locations with mild winters, the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) blooms throughout the year. This delicious perennial goes inactive in the winter in other parts of the world.
If an excess of dandelions is beneficial or harmful relies on their area and the individual’s attitude toward the plant. Dandelions are becoming a desired and valuable salad green as well as a target of tire industry study, despite their reputation as a yard weed.
When Do Dandelions bloom?
The stems of dandelions aren’t genuine. Their seedlings generate blooms on hollow stalks and form an arrangement of leaves on the soil’s top. After the seedling stage, the flowers emerge eight to fifteen weeks after germination.
Individual plants bloom all year, but most abundantly in May and June. Up to 400 seeds can be produced by a single blossom, but the average is 180. Nine to twelve days after the flowers blossom, the seeds mature.
According to the Garden Organic website, around 90% of the seeds sprout. The plant’s persistent taproot can extend up to 15 feet long, but is normally only 6 to 18 inches deep, according to the University of California Integrated Pest Management program.
History
In the 1600s, pilgrims on the Mayflower introduced the typical dandelion to the New World. Its brilliant yellow flowers, nutritional quality, and use as a folk treatment for disorders like indigestion were prized by them.
The plant originally comes from the French term “dent de lion,” which relates to the sharp protrusions on its leaves and means “tooth of the lion.”
The dandelion is among the world’s most prominent flowers because of its capacity to grow anywhere from the Arctic Circle to sub-Antarctica. The dandelion, despite its reputation for flourishing where landowners and grass managers don’t need it, is also flourishing commercially.
Read also: Learn About The Dandelion Growing Conditions
Commercial Growth
As per “The Wall Street Journal,” Americans consumed $2 million worth of raw dandelion greens over one year ending in March 2009. Russian dandelion (T. kok-saghyz) roots may grow more costly as studies into converting the plant’s latex into rubber proceeds.
The worldwide tire industry is concentrating on research from Ohio State University, the University of Guelph in Canada, and the University of Munster in Germany.
Worldwide Growth
Dandelions acclimatize to the coldest of conditions, even though they sprout best at roughly 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Dandelions are a non-native species on South Georgia Island, which is located south of Chile and has an average temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit in February.
They’re expanding, and they’ve even grown on the tomb of Ernest Shackleton, the first man to reach the South Pole. While some South Georgians enjoy them as salad toppings, British Antarctic Survey researchers are concerned that they will become dominant.
Management
Dandelion blossoming and seeding should be avoided at all costs. Hoeing is a slow and difficult method of elimination due to the long taproot. Manual extraction of the deep taproot is challenging.
A tool known as a ‘dandelion grubber’ was once used to thoroughly extract the roots. Pruning individual plants beneath the soil with a blade may not be effective since any remaining root can grow, resulting in a cluster of new shoots.
At the peak of blooming, root fragment regeneration and vitality are at their lowest. Tillage can help dandelions survive by regenerating root pieces, while plowing can cover the roots deep enough to prohibit germination. Dandelions are frequently connected with zero-tillage systems because they are wind spread.
