Practical
Plants

Taraxacum megalorrhizon

a perennial member of the Taraxacum genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.15 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked. The following uses are also probably applicable to this species, though we have no records for them[K] Root - cooked[3]. Flowers - raw or cooked[3]. The unopened flower buds can be used in fritters[3]. The whole plant is dried and used as a tea[2][3]. A pleasant tea is made from the flowers. The leaves and the roots can also be used to make tea. The root is dried and roasted to make a coffee substitute.

Product or use
Coffee
Product or use
Tea
Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A latex obtained from the roots is used to make a high-class rubber[6][1].

Product or use
Latex

Environment

Range
S. Europe.
Habitat
Not known
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and either surface-sow or only just cover the seed. Make sure the compost does not dry out. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, choosing relatively deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Plant them out in early summer. Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a well-drained humus-rich soil in full sun or light shade. According to one report this species reproduces apomictically and sexually[5], whilst another report says that only apomictic seed production is undergone[1]. Apomixy is an asexual method of seed production where each seed is genetically identical to the parent plant. Occasionally seed is produced sexually, the resulting seedlings are somewhat different to the parent plants and if these plants are sufficiently distinct from the parents and then produce apomictic seedlings these seedlings are, in theory at least, a new species.

References

  1. Polhamus. L. G. Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.

    ↩1↩2

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  5. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  6. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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