Taraxacum variegatum

Kitag.

Asteraceae Edible: Leaves

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Summary

A perennial herbaceous plant with hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by insects. Self-fertile and adaptable to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Tolerates mildly acidic, neutral, and basic soils. Grows in semi-shade to full sun and prefers consistently moist conditions.

Description

A herb. It grows 12-20 cm tall. The leaf stalks are green. The leaves are broadly sword shaped and 9-20 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. There are 4-6 lobes along the stalk.

Edible Uses

Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. The following uses are also likely applicable to this species, though no specific records exist for it: roots can be cooked and eaten; flowers can be eaten raw or cooked, with unopened buds suitable for use in fritters. The whole dried plant makes a tea, and a pleasant tea can also be brewed from the flowers alone. Both leaves and roots are suitable for making tea. The root can be dried and roasted as a coffee substitute.

Medicinal Uses

The stem has been used in the treatment of cancer. A decoction of the whole plant is used for abscesses, appendicitis, boils, liver problems, and stomach disorders. The plant has been used in Chinese medicine for over 1,000 years to treat breast cancer and other breast-related conditions, including poor milk flow.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. In north China it grows in grasslands between 100-400 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, China,

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a well-drained humus-rich soil in full sun or light shade. Many species in this genus produce their seed apomictically. This 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.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in a cold frame, either surface-sowing or barely covering it, keeping the compost consistently moist. Germination should occur within 2 weeks. Prick out seedlings into individual pots — choosing relatively deep pots to accommodate the taproot — once they are large enough to handle, and plant out in early summer. The plant can also be propagated by division in early spring as growth resumes.