THE DANDELION
(Taraxacum Officinale)
An article from Agapornis News, the Newsletter of: The African Lovebird and Foreign Parrot Society of Qld Inc.
The type of green I use during the summer is the Dandelion. This plant hardly needs any introduction. You find them growing almost anywhere and any climate. They will even be found growing in cracks between rocks or sidewalks, It goes by several other names such as Clockflower, Puffball, Timetell, Bitterwort and swine’s snout. Lawn keepers have several other names for it, but won’t discuss it here. Dandelion leaves are long and narrow with coarsely toothed edges that grow in a rosette from a long tap root. This tap root may be as long as three feet. The bright yellow flower heads grow on a hollow stem which comes up from the centre of the rosette.
In raising Lovebirds, the leaves of the Dandelion are the part of plant used, although the seed heads may be fed to finches as a supplement food. Compared to lettuce, Dandelion leaves are much more nutritious. The leaves have a very high calcium content. This calcium is water soluble and is absorbed in the body tissue easily. The leaves contain several different vitamins which are important to a bird’s diet. Minerals and trace elements are also found in the leaves. These are the reasons why Dandelion leaves are a good supplement food to the bird’s regular diet. The leaves not only help in health and fertility, but are also said to help promote feather growth. the leaves may help in internal disorders. Another thing to remember is they are free for the picking. The leaves are more plentiful in the spring, but some plants grow all through the summer. You could let a little patch grow in the backyard or garden. New plants can be produced from portions of the tap root, or you can buy seeds for a domestic variety. The leaves are a little bigger in the domestic type, but the taste will still be the same. No matter if they are wild or domestic, Dandelions shouldn’t be overlooked.
Besides having a nutritional value, Dandelions can serve as an additional nesting material. My Fischers especially like to take the leftovers, and add them to the nest. The moisture content in the leaves will help keep the humidity up in the nest box.
The Dandelion is said to be of a medicinal value as its genetic name denotes. Taraxos means internal disorder and akos means remedy. In the 1820’s it was said to be a powerful antiscorbutic. In fact, back then it seemed to be a remedy for many things. Partially opened flowers were used as a complexion wash. The milky juice of the stems was supposed to remove freckles. Old herbalists claimed that the juice caused new hair growth. The Dandelion was once the official remedy for illness that came in the winter, which is where it got its other part of its name, officinale. Even today it is employed in herbal medicine.
Today people use Dandelion leaves mostly in salads or cooked as greens. The roots are roasted and used as a coffee substitute. The flowers are picked and used to make wine. So when the colonist brought this plant into this country, they were really doing us a favour. A plant with so many uses deserves a little more credit.
The food values of a pound of Dandelion compared to lettuce:
| Nutrient | Dandelion | Lettuce | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 12.3 | 3.8 | grams |
| Fat | 3.2 | 0.6 | grams |
| Carbohydrates | 40.0 | 9.1 | grams |
| Calcium | 849.0 | 194.0 | mgs |
| Phosphorous | 318.0 | 63.0 | mgs |
| Vitamin A | 61,970 | 5,060 | I.U. |
| Iron | 14.0 | 3.4 | mgs |
| Vitamin B-1 | 0.85 | 0.14 | mgs |
| Riboflavin | 0.65 | 0.25 | mgs |
| Niacin | 3.8 | 0.6 | mgs |
| Vitamin C | 163.0 | 57.0 | mgs |
