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Useful Temperate Plants

Taraxacum kok-saghyz

L.E.Rodin.

Asteraceae


The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

+ Synonyms

Common Name: Rubber Dandelion

No Image.

General Information

Taraxacum kok-saghyz is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.25 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

50
Title
Flora Europaea
Publication
 
Author
?
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1964
ISBN
-
Description
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

Range

E. Europe to W. Asia - Turkistan.

Habitat

High mountain regions, usually on light loamy meadow soils[
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *
HabitPerennial
Height0.25 m
PollinatorsInsects, Self
Self-fertileYes
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
] but prefers a well-drained moisture retentive humus-rich soil in full sun or light shade[
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
]. Prefers a pH between 5.5 and 8.5[
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
]. Dislikes very heavy or compacted soils[
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
].
Top growth of seedlings is very slow at first until the root has developed[
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
]. It is advantageous to mark out the rows with a catch crop such as radishes or lettuce[
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
].
This plant used to be grown commercially in Russia as a rubber producing plant. It was trialed in various countries during the second world war and was found to yield a commercial harvest in Britain, Scandinavia and Northern N. America. In a trial in N. America plants grew better in the northern U.S.A. and S. Canada than they did in the south of the USA[
141
Title
Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK.
Publication
 
Author
Carruthers. S. P. (Editor)
Publisher
Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading
Year
1986
ISBN
0704909820
Description
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.
]. With the advent of cheap artificial rubber interest in this plant dwindled.
Many species in this genus produce their seed apomictically. This is an asexual method of seed production where each seed is genetically identical to the parent plant. Occasionally seed is produced sexually, the resulting seedlings are somewhat different to the parent plants and if these plants are sufficiently distinct from the parents and then produce apomictic seedlings these seedlings are, in theory at least, a new species.

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

The following uses are also probably applicable to this species, though we have no records for them[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]

Root - cooked[
183
Title
Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications
Year
1990
ISBN
0-9628087-0-9
Description
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
Flowers - raw or cooked[
183
Title
Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications
Year
1990
ISBN
0-9628087-0-9
Description
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The unopened flower buds can be used in fritters[
183
Title
Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications
Year
1990
ISBN
0-9628087-0-9
Description
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
The whole plant is dried and used as a tea[
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
,
183
Title
Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications
Year
1990
ISBN
0-9628087-0-9
Description
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
A pleasant tea is made from the flowers. The leaves and the roots can also be used to make tea.
The root is dried and roasted to make a coffee substitute.

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The root is a source of a high quality latex, used in making rubber[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
61
Title
A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
Publication
 
Author
Usher. G.
Publisher
Constable
Year
1974
ISBN
0094579202
Description
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
,
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
]. Yields between 150 and 500 kilos per hectare are possible[
110
Title
Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization.
Publication
 
Author
Polhamus. L. G.
Publisher
Leonard Hill; London.
Year
1962
ISBN
 
Description
A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.
,
171
Title
Economic Botany.
Publication
 
Author
Hill. A. F.
Publisher
The Maple Press
Year
1952
ISBN
-
Description
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.
]. The roots are harvested in the autumn, before any hard frosts which can destroy some of the latex. They are then macerated to extract the latex.
The root is rich in the starch inulin. After the latex has been extracted, this inulin can be converted to alcohol and used as a fuel.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and either surface-sow or only just cover the seed. Make sure the compost does not dry out. Germination should take place within 2 weeks, though 2 weeks cold stratification may improve germination. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, choosing relatively deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Plant them out in early summer.
Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-10-12. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Taraxacum+kok-saghyz>

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