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Some part of me made me interested more in dandelions as I saw them sprout up in my neighborhood this spring. I found this video on their history interesting.

Some part of me made me interested more in dandelions as I saw them sprout up in my neighborhood this spring. I found this video on their history interesting. Dandelions and Civilization: A Forgotten History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyePMeGE3CI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyePMeGE3CI In particular, I did not realize that they were brought over by settlers. Likely on purpose as a food source/herb then spread with western expansion. Another thing I remember is that he says there are accounts in China of roots getting much longer. 10+ feet IIRC, compared to 2 claimed in this article. Although that's a bit hard to believe. I guess it is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Of course now they are just seen as a weed. I guess I have mixed feelings The yellow flowers themselves dont put me off but seeing large patches of them after going to seed dont look good. Unlike many here probably, I do like a pristine lawn but even still I don't think the flowers themselves are a pure eyesore.

Alex3917 3y ago
Most lawn weeds were brought here as food. One obvious exception is buttercups, which are poisonous.
voisin 3y ago
> but seeing large patches of them after going to seed dont look good This seems like the primary metric we as a society use for assessing plants as weed or desirable. I wonder if it is the right metric or whether we should start with the environmental impact (and what metrics would make this assessment, like impact to pollinators, etc).
- nonethewiser 3y ago
  Yeah weeds are just plants that most people tend to not want but tend to thrive.
- pueblito 3y ago
  “The cinnamon can be eaten, and so it gets cut down; the lacquer tree can be used, and so it gets hacked apart. All men know the use of the useful, but nobody knows the use of the useless!” — ZhuangzI
epiccoleman 3y ago
God invents a beautiful little flower, a bright yellow reminder of the star which powers all life on our planet, which happens to be edible and tasty. When they go to seed, they turn into little puffballs that my kids pick and use to make their secret wishes. When my dog runs through the yard, she kicks up little clouds of seeds which float gently away on the breeze to spread more little flowers. And humans are like, "fuck that, I just want grass. God forbid any little flowers should pop up on my lawn." (disclaimer: I don't mean to shit all over your lawncare - I just find the impulse kind of funny. It's fine that you like a pristine lawn, to each their own).
- thsksbd 3y ago
  Im also quite fond of the dandelion for the reasons mentioned, but it's about tidiness. Tidiness reflects the care and love of the person responsible to his or her surroundings (that is, his environment). Its hard work to weed your lawn, to prune your roses, to edge your sidewalk! Keeping the lawn you painstakingly weeded weed free is a study of grass' lifecycle. That being said we now have the worst of both worlds. We're lazy and irresponsible but want to pretend we're not to our neighbors, so we hire a bloke to spray poison everywhere. We have lawns where there is no water instead of coming up with a neat yard with more suitable vegetation. When I was growing up I was so annoyed at my dad who made me pull weeds out by hand with him. Why couldn't we use Round Up like every one else? Now I see the wisdom of his monk-like personality.
  - WillAdams 3y ago
    My daughter was quite put out when her teacher awarded extra credit for the students who brought in long dandelions --- they were the first weed which I'd managed to eradicate from our yard (by digging them up by the roots). Next was the plantains, buckhorn, and uncommon. The big thing is, eliminating such weeds means that the grass needs to be cut less often, since it's the growth rate of the grass which determines this, which is an important consideration since I use a reel lawnmower.
    - hosh 3y ago
klyrs 3y ago
> Another thing I remember is that he says there are accounts in China of roots getting much longer. 10+ feet IIRC, compared to 2 claimed in this article. Although that's a bit hard to believe. Have you ever seen the lengths people go to for pumpkin competitions? I fully believe that people committed to the cause could grow 10' dandelion roots. Tons of fertilizer, optimized "sun" exposure, repeat for generations and propagate the seeds from the record-setters.

Alex3917 3y ago

Most lawn weeds were brought here as food. One obvious exception is buttercups, which are poisonous.

voisin 3y ago

> but seeing large patches of them after going to seed dont look good This seems like the primary metric we as a society use for assessing plants as weed or desirable. I wonder if it is the right metric or whether we should start with the environmental impact (and what metrics would make this assessment, like impact to pollinators, etc).

nonethewiser 3y ago
Yeah weeds are just plants that most people tend to not want but tend to thrive.
pueblito 3y ago
“The cinnamon can be eaten, and so it gets cut down; the lacquer tree can be used, and so it gets hacked apart. All men know the use of the useful, but nobody knows the use of the useless!” — ZhuangzI

epiccoleman 3y ago

God invents a beautiful little flower, a bright yellow reminder of the star which powers all life on our planet, which happens to be edible and tasty. When they go to seed, they turn into little puffballs that my kids pick and use to make their secret wishes. When my dog runs through the yard, she kicks up little clouds of seeds which float gently away on the breeze to spread more little flowers. And humans are like, "fuck that, I just want grass. God forbid any little flowers should pop up on my lawn." (disclaimer: I don't mean to shit all over your lawncare - I just find the impulse kind of funny. It's fine that you like a pristine lawn, to each their own).

thsksbd 3y ago
Im also quite fond of the dandelion for the reasons mentioned, but it's about tidiness. Tidiness reflects the care and love of the person responsible to his or her surroundings (that is, his environment). Its hard work to weed your lawn, to prune your roses, to edge your sidewalk! Keeping the lawn you painstakingly weeded weed free is a study of grass' lifecycle. That being said we now have the worst of both worlds. We're lazy and irresponsible but want to pretend we're not to our neighbors, so we hire a bloke to spray poison everywhere. We have lawns where there is no water instead of coming up with a neat yard with more suitable vegetation. When I was growing up I was so annoyed at my dad who made me pull weeds out by hand with him. Why couldn't we use Round Up like every one else? Now I see the wisdom of his monk-like personality.
- WillAdams 3y ago
  My daughter was quite put out when her teacher awarded extra credit for the students who brought in long dandelions --- they were the first weed which I'd managed to eradicate from our yard (by digging them up by the roots). Next was the plantains, buckhorn, and uncommon. The big thing is, eliminating such weeds means that the grass needs to be cut less often, since it's the growth rate of the grass which determines this, which is an important consideration since I use a reel lawnmower.
  - hosh 3y ago

klyrs 3y ago

> Another thing I remember is that he says there are accounts in China of roots getting much longer. 10+ feet IIRC, compared to 2 claimed in this article. Although that's a bit hard to believe. Have you ever seen the lengths people go to for pumpkin competitions? I fully believe that people committed to the cause could grow 10' dandelion roots. Tons of fertilizer, optimized "sun" exposure, repeat for generations and propagate the seeds from the record-setters.