What it is
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is in the Asteraceae (Daisy) family. The most recognizable wild edible — every part is usable, and there are no dangerous lookalikes once you know it.
How to grow it
It wants full sun to part shade, water it any, and give it any soil. Target a soil pH around Adaptable. Expect roughly Year-round. Perennial weed.
How it's used
Dandelion is used: greens (salad/cooked), root (coffee), flower.
🔎 How to identify it
- Toothed leaves in a basal rosette
- Single hollow stem, milky sap
- One yellow flower per stem → white puffball
Edibility
PartsLeaves, root, flower
UsesGreens (salad/cooked), root (coffee), flower
CautionHarvest from unsprayed areas only.
🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.