Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Dandelions

My daughter loves them a lot! They begin to bloom just about anywhere at the beginning of Spring and continues to do so until the summer. I actually didn't know until today that they are called dandelions since I only know their German name: Löwenzahn, which literally means "lion teeth". What is amazing about dandelions is that after it blooms, it produces seeds, each attached to a stem with white fluffy stems and turns into what the Germans call Pusteblume, because it when you blow on it, they scatter in the wind.


It is interesting to note that while many people see it as a pesky weed, herbalists see them as a valuable herb and medicine, and a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Many of its parts are edible, e.g. the leaves are used in salads to add flavor, roots are used in some coffee substitutes and the flowers are used to make wine.


And here is my little girl, picking up some dandelions. We were Berlin at that time and she picked these up, along with some Pusteblume while waiting for our turn for the boat tour around Berlin. This photo was taken at the park near the main train station.



2 comments:

Rachelle said...

thanks for this info. i called them daisies in my last post in my kids' blog. now i have to edit it. haha!

kamz said...

Hello Che! I also thought they were daisies before and then a friend told me that they are called Löwenzahn. Since I don't know what it's called in english, i had to google it pa. lol!

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