Taraxacum officinale
| Taraxacum officinale | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Common Dandelion | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Cichorieae |
| Genus: | Taraxacum |
| Species: | T. officinale |
| Binomial name | |
|
Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg |
|
| Synonyms | |
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| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 188 kJ (45 kcal) |
|
9.2 g
|
|
| Sugars | 0.71 g |
| Dietary fiber | 3.5 g |
|
0.7 g
|
|
|
2.7 g
|
|
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A equiv. |
(64%)
508 μg
(54%)
5854 μg13610 μg
|
| Thiamine (B1) |
(17%)
0.19 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(22%)
0.26 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(5%)
0.806 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(2%)
0.084 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
(19%)
0.251 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(7%)
27 μg |
| Choline |
(7%)
35.3 mg |
| Vitamin C |
(42%)
35 mg |
| Vitamin E |
(23%)
3.44 mg |
| Vitamin K |
(741%)
778.4 μg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(19%)
187 mg |
| Iron |
(24%)
3.1 mg |
| Magnesium |
(10%)
36 mg |
| Manganese |
(16%)
0.342 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(9%)
66 mg |
| Potassium |
(8%)
397 mg |
| Sodium |
(5%)
76 mg |
| Zinc |
(4%)
0.41 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Water | 85.6 g |
|
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|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
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Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion (often simply called "dandelion"), is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae).
It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. T. officinale is considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. Common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits that disperse in the wind called "blowballs" or "clocks" (in both British and American English).
Taraxacum officinale grows from generally unbranched taproots and produces one to more than ten stems that are typically 5–40 cm (2.0–15.7 in) tall, but sometimes up to 70 cm (28 in) tall. The stems can be tinted purplish, they are upright or lax, and produce flower heads that are held as tall or taller than the foliage. The foliage may be upright-growing or horizontally spreading; the leaves have petioles that are either unwinged or narrowly winged. The stems can be glabrous or sparsely covered with short hairs. Plants have milky latex and the leaves are all basal; each flowering stem lacks bracts and has one single flower head. The yellow flower heads lack receptacle bracts and all the flowers, which are called florets, are ligulate and bisexual. In many lineages, fruits are mostly produced by apomixis, notwithstanding the flowers are visited by many types of insects.
The leaves are 5–45 cm (2.0–17.7 in) long and 1–10 cm (0.39–3.94 in) wide, and are oblanceolate, oblong, or obovate in shape, with the bases gradually narrowing to the petiole. The leaf margins are typically shallowly lobed to deeply lobed and often lacerate or toothed with sharp or dull teeth.
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Wikipedia