Jump to content
The Corroboree
  • 0
Sign in to follow this  
gtarman

Dandelion foraging in oz...any pointers?

Question

Hey folks. So I've been eating bits of what I thought was dandelion from my backyard, only to find out there are a bunch of plants referred to as false dandelion and that it must be one of those.

The main thing is apparently dandelion flowers all grow on single, un-branching stems, whereas all the ones in my backyard are branching. So the next likely candidate was catsear, but apparently the leaves for that are almost never bitter, yet mine are quite bitter.

Just wondering what my plants are likely to be if neither of the above? And also wondering if there are any unsafe dandelion lookalikes growing in Australia that I should be wary of?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

11 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

catsears are edible but you have to get the young tender leaves. the older leaves are bitter & taste like shit. theres two different species that i know of that are edible. Hypochoeris raicata which has hairy leaves & H. glabra which has smooth leaves. not sure if there are any dangerous lookalikes.

the margins of dandilion have jagged teeth. catsears have more wavey margins. catsears also have a more fleshy feel than dandilion leaves. it sounds to me like what you have is catsears. dandilions also tend to have thicker, shorter flower stalks but thats a very general rule & like you said the flowers grw from a single stalk whereas the catsears can branch

dandilions shouldn't be too hard to find but seem to be a little bit less common than catsears. when you get to know both plants it's clear just how different they are.

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

I think Paradox summed it up pretty well, the only thing I could add is that Catsears have leaves that look & feel hairy. Dandelion leaves look and feel smooth.

I eat a wodge of Dandelion leaf rolled in Comfrey leaves almost every day mainly because they grow so close together in my garden.

& it's amazing how often pictures of subs have Catsears in the frame & almost never Dandelions. It must be an indicator of a soil type that is favourable for both subs and Catsears.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

& it's amazing how often pictures of subs have Catsears in the frame & almost never Dandelions. It must be an indicator of a soil type that is favourable for both subs and Catsears.

Jaysus, my backyard must be sub paradise then. My back lawn is about 50% catsear.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

According to some foraging teacher dude from North America dandelion has no poisonous lookalikes. Not sure if that holds true to Australia as well though. But I haven't died yet.

And thanks para, I must just be eating old catsear leaves then

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

Really cool ya learning how to forage, but yeah becareful when using common names, try to use the binomial names for id and research. He are 2 links I used when doing weeds at tafe.

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/plants/weeds-pest-animals-ants/weeds/a-z-listing-of-weeds

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

I've found that the dandy's get going a little later than the rest. But they nearly alll good yo.

Some are more bitter than others. It's nice to be aquainted with all the edible weeds (pretty much every thing the councils spray) because if you care about your taste buds or your butthole, you'll wanna know how to mix flavours and acidities to get a palatable balance that doesnt make you shit yourself.

I extracted sow thistle once thinking it was wild lettuce.. Luckily, had basically the exact same effect and qualities.
I feel a lot of the panaceas are like this. Well, that's why they're panacea's :)

I roasted some this year. Frigggin beautiful!!! Apparently you want the older plants for this. Even 2nd or 3rd year dandy's (?) but to be honest, I thought they die off and re seed each year (?)

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

Man I love roasted dandilion beverage!

Truly one of my earliest memories was going foraging for roots with my older bro & roasting up a brew.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

22411245623_82bc210980_b.jpgIMG_1940.jpg by @ablekay47, on Flickr

apparently a noxious weed in Oz, but from what I've read this is mostly due to crop interference, so I'm fairly liberal in my spreading of the seed (living in the innercity). apparently the leaf tea has proven positive breast and colon cancer properties, so not a bad interest for the over 40's ,-)

Edited by AbleKay
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

Nice pic Able

They say they grow in calcium deficient soil, which I've found to be true most of the time. Sometimes the calcium can be there but it's just locked up, the dandelions dredge it up and make it available when they die.

My old man has heaps of them in his shitty cut and fill block that has no topsoil, he hates them and sprays them with roundup. Which is rather ironic as he suffers from gout but dandelions are an age old treatment for gout. They work as a diuretic but unlike pharmaceutical diuretics they achieve the purpose, they move excess water out of the cells but also produce an increase in serum potassium - which is also useful for gout.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 0

Looks like I've been drinking catsear tea. I thought they were dandelion aswell.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×