LION'S TEETH: Dandelion

Excuse me, we're looking for eye-openers - not mouth openers!
 
Is there anything special about a lion's mouth apart from his bad breath?
Well...there's no point telling a lion to chew his tucker properly because he can't - he has no molar teeth - but standby (not too close!)... 

Okay, these are dandelion seeds that all little kids like to blow but where are the lion’s teeth we were promised?
 
 Dandelion got its name from the serrated leaves that resemble lions’ teeth, called 'Denta leonis' in Latin or 'Dents de Lion' in French!

 

Ask most gardeners, landscapers, green-keepers, farmers or graziers - they will tell you that Dandelion is just common flatweed in need of a good dose of Roundup or broadleaf herbicide.

What can we say in its favour?

 

•  Dandelion is rich in Vitamins A & C and is possibly the most useful of all herbs. 
• It can be beneficial for eyes, plus liver, kidneys, intestines, spleen, pancreas, gall-bladder, stomach, bladder...(yup…sore guts!) 
• It is useful in treating: jaundice, gallstones, cirrhosis, hepatitis, arthritis, constipation, rheumatism, gout, arteriosclerosis, cellulite, skin and eye disorders...using an extract called Taraxacum.
• Dandelion wine is made from the flowers
• It makes a cleansing tea that is diuretic and blood purifying
• A coffee substitute can be made from Dandelion roots
• Dandelion leaves are useful in salads

 

Okay, that's mighty impressive but is there anything special about the plant itself? The Dandelion flower is highly developed as a composite of 100 or more tiny florets, 'perfect' flowers whose ovaries produce fertile seeds – WITHOUT POLLINATION! Not only that, it is capable of 'vegetative propagation' i.e. it can completely regenerate from ONLY a root.

So, is the Dandelion just a useless prolific weed...or is it one of God's amazing gifts to us as a perennial herb?

Photo credit: Warwick Wells