Low riskEdible
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
The emergency salad. Entire plant is food if you can stand the bitter.
- Marks
- Hollow milky stem; one flower per stalk
- Size
- 4–12 in
- Habitat
- Lawns, gardens, waste ground.
- Season
- Peak April; some bloom all year.
- Frequency
- abundant
Basal rosette of toothed leaves, hollow milky scape, one yellow head, then a clock of seeds. No branching.
Uses
Young leaves raw or boiled; buds like capers; flowers for wine; roasted root as a coffee stretch.