Dandelion

Common Name : Dandelion

Botanical Name : Taraxacum

Dandelions are thought to have evolved about thirty million years ago in Eurasia.They have been used by humans for food and as a herb for much of recorded history.They were introduced to North America by early European immigrants

The Latin name Taraxacum originates in medieval Persian writings on pharmacy.The English name, dandelion, is a corruption of the French dent de lion  meaning "lion's tooth", referring to the coarsely toothed leaves. The plant is also known as blowball, cankerwort, doon-head-clock, witch's gowan, milk witch, lion's-tooth, yellow-gowan, Irish daisy, monks-head, priest's-crown and puff-ball,other common names include faceclock, pee-a-bed, wet-a-bed,swine's snout, white endive, and wild endive.

Also the name "dandelion" is a cognate of the names in many other European languages, such as the Welsh dant y llew, Italian dente di leone, Catalan dent de lleo, Spanish diente de leon, Portuguese dente-de-leao, Norwegian Løvetann, Danish Løvetand and German Lowenzahn. The colloquial German word Pusteblume (blow-flower) refers to the children's game of blowing away the seeds of the ripe taraxacum flower.
Four dandelion flowers are the emblem of White Sulphur Spring, West Virginia.The citizens celebrate spring with an annual Dandelion Festival.The dandelion is the official flower of the University of Rochester and "Dandelion Yellow" is one of the school's official colors. The Dandelion Yellow is an official University of Rochester song.

Dangers

Dandelion pollen may cause allergic reactions when eaten, or adverse skin reactions in sensitive individuals. Contact dermatitis after handling has also been reported, probably from the latex in the stems and leaves. Due to its high potassium level, dandelion can also increase the risk of hyperkalemia when taken with potassium-sparing diuretics .The consumption of dandelion leaves has also been implicated in occurrences of fasciolosis.