Vine's Flora Friday: Dandelion

The dandelion, although seen regularly and discarded as commonplace, has some very interesting God-given features. Its name comes from the French "dent de lion", or lion's tooth for the golden petals that resemble teeth.

For many years, needy families have gathered its leaves to create a nutritious salad. Their leaves are also cooked with other greens for an extra food supply. In past centuries it was used for medicinal purposes. It is a mild laxative. Every part of the weed can be utilized; it's leaves, root and flower can be used for eating, medicine and dying.

In the 1800s, people would rather have a healthy lawn of dandelions and other weeds instead of plain grass, in dire contrast to our modern practices. Thinkers often noted that the plant could represent all three heavenly bodies; the flower was our sun, the silver puff-ball was the moon, and the dispersing seeds were the stars.

Dandelions also have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant. So next time when you go to weed your lawn, remember the tasty, helpful dandelion.

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