Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I briefly covered on March 14th 2019 and again briefly on February 23rd, 2024
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| This Cat's Ear Dandelion thinks your landscape edging sucks! |
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| Look at those lobes! |
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| These young Cat's Ear Dandelions are the right size for transplant, just don't eat the red shroom. |
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| This specimen was seen growing through a tiny crack at the Cumberland County School Bus Garage bay door. It's a perfect example of how nature cannot really be stopped. |
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| This is a great example of Smooth Cat's Ear Dandelion (H. glabra) |
Common Name: Cat’s Ear Dandelion
Other Common Names: Flatweed, Australian Cape Weed, California Dandelion, False Dandelion, Frogbit, Gosmore, Hairy Cat’s Ear, Rough Cat’s Ear and Spotted Cat’s Ear
Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Hypochaeris radicata
Description & Habitat: Cat’s Ear Dandelion is a non-native perennial plant that array’s its leaves in a basal rosette. The leaves of this plant have a lobed margin and are somewhat fuzzy and typically a glossy but rich green color. This plant has a lot of common names and the names tell you just one thing, that this plant is very well known. Cat’s Ear Dandelion is botanically known as (Hypochaeris radicata), and it is despite the name ‘False Dandelion’ in the Aster family meaning it is related to true Dandelions (Taraxacum sp.). That name also tells us other things ‘radicata’ means ‘rooted’ which is a reference to this plant’s at-times multiple taproots while ‘hypochaeris’ by some translations means ‘for the hogs’ as pics like to dig and eat the roots. When we examine this plant on a physical level it has a lot of the same physical features. So, it has a taproot, it also has milky latex sap, the leaves are of similar shape and it’s seeds heads from puff balls where the seeds can float away on little silky parachutes. The differences between this plant and true Dandelions are its lack of hollow stems in the flowers and that its leaves have coarse fuzz on them. Additionally Cat’s Ear Dandelions tend to grow closer to the ground and can form large rosettes but are very resilient against mowing. But that Rosette did not evolve because of lawn mowing it came about to suppress competing plants and as part of its drought resilience. These plants are drought resistant because of their ability to produce more than one taproot and their leaf shape and arrangement which funnels water from the morning dew or rain to the crown so the roots can suck it up.
When & What to Harvest: All parts of this plant can be consumed however the roots are typically used to make a tincture to deal with Liver and gallbladder issues while the leaves and flowers are often eaten raw or cooked. If you want less bitter flavored greens pick the leaves when young or cook the leaves and or flowers to destroy some of the bitterness.
Edible Related Plants: True Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Chicory (Chicorum intybus), Tall Lettuce (Lactuca canadensis), Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola) and, Carolina Desert Chicory (Pyrrhopappus carolinianus).
Similar Dangerous Species: None are known.
Recipe:
While I do lack a formal recipe for using this plant I do have a few suggestions based on how I use it for you. Cat’s Ear Dandelion can be used for all the same things as its more famous cousin however these plants can be bitter when eaten raw in a forage salad. The trick there is the get newer softer leaves if you intend to eat them raw and in a forage salad try to pair the greens with a bold or robust Italian dressing. For some the fuzz on the leaves is a deal breaker and that is understandable but there are two ways to neutralize that problem and a bunch of the bitterness that comes from using older hairier leaves. Cooking will essentially melt the stuff the fuzz is made up of and will destroy a noticeable amount of bitterness which means this plant is a pretty good potherb. This is a plant you might want to consider cultivating as it at the very least is an easy source of blossoms for use in making dandelion wine. But speaking of blossoms, unopened or barely opened blossoms with several inches of stalk can be steamed, sautéed and are a pretty good substitute for Asparagus.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hypochaeris-radicata/
Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:
I don’t know of any credible vendor selling seeds or plants.
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.
Fresh Foods: (Note- It is almost the end of the season for winter vegetables and soup kits)
Soup Kit – Parsnip
Soup Kit – Turnip
Turnips
Parsnips
Onions
Celery
Potatoes
Garlic Bulbs
Soil Amendment Products:
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag
Spring Garden Plants:
Swiss Chard, Red
(More TBA!)
*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.
How to stay in Contact with Us!
All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (1): Selaginella, Frosty Fern
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is March 15th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
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