Anita’ Blog – Dandelion, True or False
- jjvanm
- Mar 27
- 4 min read
There are true dandelions and false dandelions. That’s true.
True or false: Texas has both. True, but true dandelions are not native to Texas.
True: False dandelions are native to south Texas.
True: True dandelions are scarce in the Rio Grande Valley.
I love dandelions. They’ve been the one true constant wherever I’ve lived, worked or traveled: Midwest, East Coast, South, overseas, Gulf States, Deep South Texas.
Or maybe not such a true constant, since it’s a false dandelion in the Rio Grande Valley, not a true dandelion -- but it’s not a fake. It’s a native dandelion, known as Texas dandelion, Texas false dandelion and smallflower desert-chicory, Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus. By whatever name, it gloriously prevails over the Rio Grande Valley this time of year.
The Carolinas have a false dandelion, too, as do other geographical areas but that would make for too long a blog post.
So, briefly:
Common Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, (a true dandelion) is found in North America – and globally – having originated in Eurasia and now naturalized worldwide. One source reported that it was introduced from Europe long, long ago. Another site pinpointed that arrival, saying they were brought to North America in the early 1600s by European settlers.
Dandelions are thought to have evolved about 30 million years ago in Eurasia, according to Wikipedia. That’s quite a lineage.
Texas false Dandelion, Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus, is found in the southern United States and northern Mexico.
Carolina false dandelion, Pyrrhopappus carolinianus, generally found in the southeastern United States.
I miss the Midwest dandelions of my childhood. Those most honorable true dandelions, Taraxacum officinale, back then let me know that spring was arriving, summer soon would follow, and school would be out. I’d be free.
Texas dandelions give me the same thrill (because pre-Texas Master Naturalist training, I didn’t know they were different, just taller) as those of my childhood. I’ll probably never shake that spring/summer/freedom triune; that’s locked in my psyche, although the freedom of retirement is encouragingly expansive.
There are many different species of dandelions: 250 species and even more subspecies, although identifying the differences among the species can be difficult, unless you are a botanist, according to author Jan Carrington, in an Abilene Reporter-News article entitled, “Dandelions can be a delight for everyone.”
In areas of Texas where both common and false dandelions occur, the common dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is noted for its jagged, deeply toothed leaves. The flower is small and low growing, a single flower per stem and taproot. It pops up first, followed by the taller, paler pastel yellow Texas dandelion, Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus, which has smoother toothed leaves, wider petals, branched stems and multiple flowers per stalk, a taproot and what appear to be black lines in the flower center.
“Both species make good companion plants for gardening because their taproots bring up nutrients that benefit more shallow-rooting plants, adding nitrogen and other minerals to the soil,” wrote Carrington.
It's important to note that there are other plants that can look like dandelions, such as Japanese or Asian Hawkweed and Sow Thistle. Don’t be fooled; they are not dandelions.
At left, Asian hawkweed, native Sow Thistle and nonnative Spiny Sow Thistle. (Photos by Anita Westervelt)
As previously mentioned, dandelions were deliberately brought to North America and for good reasons: food, medicine and beauty.
“Dandelions were world-famous for their beauty. They were a common and beloved garden flower in Europe, and the subject of many poems. In the terrifying New World, the cheerful face of the dandelion was a sweet reminder of home. In Japan for instance, whole horticultural societies formed to enjoy the beauty of dandelions and to develop exciting new varieties for gardeners,” according to science writer Anita Sanchez, author of “The Teeth of the Lion.”
“Before the invention of lawns, people praised dandelions. Gardeners often weeded out the grass to make room for the dandelions. But somewhere in the twentieth century, humans decided that the dandelion was a weed. Nowadays, they’re the most unpopular plant in the neighborhood,” Sanchez wrote.
Homeowners in America spend millions of dollars and possibly billions, worldwide, and untold laborious hours trying to eradicate dandelions with powerful chemicals or professional dandelion removal services. I’m not one of those homeowners. Europeans also consider dandelions a nuisance in manicured lawns because they disrupt the desired green appearance.
Consider this in favor of the dandelion:
The deep taproots reach nutrients that many other plants can’t access and help make the soil more fertile for other plants.
The roots help aerate compacted soil, allowing water and oxygen to penetrate more deeply and also help reduce erosion.
Dandelions are valuable for nectar and pollen for bees, especially in early spring when other flowers are scarce.
Dandelions are great wildlife plants, providing foliage and seeds.
Cattle and white-tailed deer browse leaves and stems.
Rabbits eat the leaves, flowers and roots.
Bobwhite quail, Rio Grande turkeys, and other birds eat the seeds.
Nearly 100 species of insects feed from dandelion flowers, including bees and butterflies.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds weave dandelion fluff and seed into their nests.
Dandelion fluff. (Photo by Anita Westervelt)
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