This dandelion species (Taraxacum albidium) is native to Southern Japan, and resembles the "Common" dandelion feature-for-feature save for the creamy white blossom where in place of the yellow one. These flowers are incredibly gorgeous, and I admit part of that beauty is likely due to their relative obscurity in this part of the world. Many mornings on the farm I would pass by a blossoming stand and feel grateful for their presence.
It has taken us a number of years to grow enough seed to offer in our catalog, but we've finally got enough to offer a limited quantity of packets for our customers. A must-have for the dandelion geek, but also imminently practical. We harvested the greens for Mano Farm's community agriculture shares and at the end of the season dried the remaining foliage to use for tea. The roots, of course, are where the real medicine is at. Flavor and taste (bitter!) seems indistinguishable from Taraxacum officinale.
Grown at Mano Farm in Ojai, California.
-Quin
