Japanese dandelion, White dandelion
Taraxacum albidum
Family: Asteraceae
What it is like
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a taproot. The leaves are in a ring near the base. The leaves have deep lobes. The flower stalks are hollow and 40 cm tall. This produces a flower head with white ray florets. The fruit is single seeded and produced asexually.
There are 50-60 Taraxacum species. This is probably a cross between Taraxacum coreanum and Taraxacum japonicum. It has 5 sets of chrosomes.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Japan, Korea
How it is used for food
The flowers are eaten after light boiling. The roots are parboiled and eaten.
It is occasionally grown as a food plant.
Edible parts
Flowers, leaves, root
How it is grown
Seeds remain dormant during the winter. Plants can be grown from seeds.