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Asteraceae FAMILY

Taraxacum obovatum

Taraxacum obovatum

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Prefers a well-drained humus-rich soil in full sun or light shade. According to one report this species reproduces apomictically and sexually[1], whilst another report says that only apomictic seed production is undergone[2]. Apomixy 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

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and either surface-sow or only just cover the seed. Make sure the compost does not dry out. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, choosing relatively deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Plant them out in early summer. Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Taraxacum+obovatum>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Flora Europaea — ? · Cambridge University Press · 1964 · ISBN - ↩︎An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
  2. [2]Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization. — Polhamus. L. G. · Leonard Hill; London. · 1962 ↩︎A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
  3. [3]Les Salades Sauvages — Les Ecologistes de l'Euzière · Not given. · 1994 · ISBN 2-906128-04-X ↩︎A lovely little book about some wild salads in France. Written in French.
  4. [4]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  5. [5]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  6. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎