The "Real" Dandelion

I have a friend who is right into "weeds for medicinal purposes" (and I'm talking about the legal type here!) and it's great when she comes over to point out what's what. It's not something I've ever really been interested in, but I find the more I hang out in my garden, the more I am interested in what is naturally growing in my garden environment. Weeds are such a telling sign for what type of soil you have and I now see them as a beneficial addition to a garden (for the most part!). I was reading a book which was very much into a natural organic garden where the author would leave all self seeded plants exactly where they were because they were there for a reason - and rightly so. She also had a section on weeds and talked a bit of dandelion plants. That was a bit of a learning experience. What I had always thought were dandelions are in fact not - and are actually known as "false dandelions" LOL. BUT, today while down in the garden as the kids played in the mud that had accumulated around the base of the bath/trough I spotted a Real Dandelion.

The differences...

The Real Deal
The leaves are smooth and soft and not shiny
The leaves stand upright off the ground
The flowers are borne on a single pale green stem

The Imposter
The leaves are hairy and glossy
The leaves are dark green and lie flat on the ground in a rosette
The flower stems are borne on tall, branching stalks with many flowers in a candalabra

Dandelions are a useful addition to salads and contain iron, silicon, magnesium, sodium and calcium, high in vitamin A, B1, B2, C and small traces of a few others. So, off to munch on my dandelion plant and soak up the goodness...