Pyrrhopapppaus carolinianus not a dandelion
Pyrrhopappus, & Hypochoeris: Are Dandelion Impostors
Most people don’t notice False Dandelions because they have the real thing. But here in the South where real dandelions are scarce and scraggly, False Dandelions stands out. Actually, they are found most of the Eastern US, and up the west coast. Let’s look at several of them starting with the Pyrrhopappus carolinianus.
Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
P. carolinianus is not mentioned in any edible plant book I have. I learned about it from Dick Deuerling, author of “Florida’s Incredible Wild Edibles” which is still in print, the profits from which go to non-profit plant causes.
Dick, however, had a slightly different take on the False Dandelion. While ethnobotanical research shows the natives ate the roots, Dick preferred the leaves, raw in salads or cooked. The roots, by the way, are said to be much sweeter when picked in autumn. I use them just like Dandelion leaves, that is, young and tender leaves in a salad, older leaves boiled as a green. I learned from Suzanne Shires one can cook the stems and use like spaghetti.
Pyrrhopappus (pye-roh-PAP-pus) means “fire fluff” a reference to the floating dandelion-like seed. Carolinianus (kair-oh-lin-ee-AY-nus) means “of Carolina” which was an old way of saying middle America.
Hypochoeris radicata sometime call the Hairy Cat’s Ear. Photo by Green Deane
The second false dandelion is better known and more wide-spread. The Hypochoeris radicata (hye-poe-KÊ-ris rad-i-KAY-ta) is also called by several other names usually involving “cat’s ear” such as “Smooth Cat’s Ear” or “Spotted Cat’s Ear.” See pictures at right.
Unlike the previous “false dandelion” the radicata is an import from Europe. It is still very popular wild weed in France, Spain, Italy and Greece. It is one of only 17 plants that are still gathered by farming communities in those countries. You can find it in grassy areas and road sides. They can tolerate dry ground but like moist soil as well. In very wet conditions the rosette can grow in to a clump. On a sunny cay it covers my cousin’s lawn in South Carolina.
Hypochoeris glabra
H. Radicata might be an acquired taste. Cooking reduces the bitterness but there is always left over bitterness, and the leaves are hairy as well. They can go in go raw in salads, or cooked in soups and also steam well. The “cat’s ear” part refers to the bitter hairy leaves. Radicata means “rooted.” Hypochoeris is translated to mean “for the hogs” because pigs like the roots. Another Hypochoeris, the glabra, right, is less bitter and is often eaten raw. Glabra means smooth, read hairless. Young tender stems of cat’s ear can be boiled and used like spaghetti.
Agoseris aurantiaca
Lastly a fourth false dandelion, also called the Mountain Dandelion, is the Agoseris aurantiaca, (a-go-SER-iss aw-ran-ti-AYE-kuh) below, found mostly in the western half of north America. It’s leaves were eaten by the Indians. Agoseris combines two Greek words, aego (goat) and seris (the genus name for a lettuce-like plant) and aurantiaca which means orange-red color.
Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile
IDENTIFICATION: On first glance you’ll think P. carolinianus is a dandelion but the flower’s rays are more sparse and you will see dark anthers in the middle area of the flower. The stem is thinner and stronger than a dandelion, and the leaves skinnier and far less intended. They tend to curl laterally towards the center.
H. radicata: first leaves are club-shaped, round end, and hairless, mature leaves grow to eight inches long. Leaves arranged in a basal rosette, hairy, toothed or irregularly lobed edges. Basal leaves obovate in shape and to 8 inches long and 1.5 inches wide with toothed edges that are deeply wavy. The basal leaves are very hairy and sessile (without stalks.) Leaves grow smaller up the stem, have a milk sap, leafless flower stalks with two to seven flowers on each stalk. H. glabra is similar to radicata but hairless.
Agoseris aurantiaca: Perennial with basal patch of long leaves, variable in shape but 15 inches in length, no stem, several flowers on tall peduncles up to two feet tall. Flower is ray florets with squared, toothed tips, deep orange to red, occasionally yellow, seed has dandelion-like tuff attached.
TIME OF YEAR: Same time as dandelions, greens spring and summer, roots in fall.
ENVIRONMENT: Same environment as dandelions, lawns, fields, common areas, sidewalk cracks. Prefers moist soil.
METHOD OF PREPARATION: P. carolinianus: Young leaves raw in salads, older leaves boiled like dandelions for a potherb, young stems like spavhetti. Autumn roots boiled or roasted. H. radicata, young leaves raw or cooked. H. glabra, leaves cooked or raw. Flower and buds of all can be used like dandelions. A. aurantiaca, cooked leaves
I Love your website and YouTube videos.
I learn so much.
I live near Cleveland Ohio, I saw some flowers near a creek, I thought it was a dandelion but it had no leaves. It was Colts Foot and is also eatable, medicinal and smoke-able.
Not sure if you have them in Florida.
Thanks for all the information.
Becareful with coltsfoot. It has been implicated in some deaths lately.
Hey Deane, I have noticed a trend that most rosette weeds seem to be edible. I was wondering if there were any rosette patterned plants that would be poisonous or inedible. I took one of your classes in Gainesville, but I’ve relocated to Alabama – hopefully that helps identify my local flora. Love your site, thanks so much.
No, here is no rule. A lot of non-edible and toxic plants have rosettes.
I ordered the book today.. Dick’s book… looking forward to it..
Just out of curiosity, what are the 17 weed species that they still eat in Europe? A friend and I had a discussion the other day, and I realized how many weeds we despise here were actually bright over as food at first. It’s really hard to find some information about when Europeans first brought certain things over to the New world, though.
In New Hampshire, I dug some dandelions and there was no tap root. Is this a variety, a young plant, or something else entirely? If not a dandelion, is it edible?
I’d have to see a picture.
One likely possibility is Fall “Dandelion” (Leontodon autumnalis), which is common in NH (where I live also!). It has leaves like a skeletal version of dandelion, flowers similar to dandelion (but later in the year and rather smaller, no milky juice in stem) or hawkweed but not identical, and has no taproot. Edibility not certain, and it’s not a close relative of regular Dandelion. If in doubt, leave it in the ground and just admire!
I have been eating dandelion leaves ~~ and see that there are so many kinds — shapes of leaves, etc. How can I be sure it is of the dandelion species? Is it the “taproot” (and what is the visual definition of that word?) or a combination of visual qualities? I am in Washington state.
What is this book I see others are referring to?
Both beautiful plants, I love your pictures! I know Hypochaeris radicata as Hairy Cat’s ear and Hypochaeris glabra as smooth cat’s ear…does this coincide with your knowledge?I was a little confused with the statement that H. radicata was hairless in the last paragraph. Given there are lots of asters that look like this, gotta love them all! I’m in Victoria, BC.
Young leaves are hairless, older leave are.
Hello!
I love your great information on edible Dandelions and other plants!
Living off the land with items free…that are more nutritious than store-bought spinach…seems like something everybody should know about! 🙂 Thank you!
I have a lot of catsear in my yard and was thinking about trying some but there is a lot of sits on the internet saying it’s toxic to horses. What is your opinion on this.
You are not a horse. What various species can eat does not transfer to other species. We can eat avocados which are toxic to most animals. Deer eat poison ivy, squirrels can eat mushrooms that would kill us, arsenic is a disease preventative in chickens.
I picked my false dandelions today, May 29, at 12:30. They were nice and fully open. I took them home and hand plucked the flowers from the green part. My question is, they still have a bitter taste. Is that normal? Also, if I freeze them until I get more, should I wash them first? Thank you for any help.
Denise
They are on the bitter side, washing is just optional.
I let a plant ( that I thought was dandelion) grow to maturity. It started out like a dandelion, same shape leaves, same yellow flowers and puff balls, but the thing grew tall and fast. by mid summer, the plant was 5 feet tall and had a thigh hollow (hairy too, I think) stalk. any idea what this plant could be? I don’t have a photo…
There are several possibilities.
Unlike the common dandelion, do these dandelions close up at night, like poppies?
Not that I know of, but some members in the greater family don’t open much so they might appear to have closed at night, Lactuca Floridana comes to mind.
I am reading that there is not much nutritional value in cats ear. Is this true?
Less than Dandelions…
The false dandelions here on the north coast of NSW, which is on the east coast of Australia, do close up at night. (Branching stems, solid stalks and more tgSn one flower per plant/main stalk.
What is the name of the little yellow one stemmed flower (yellow center and very small white petals ) that is in all of the road ways right now….thought it might be camomile but i do not believe it is as it does not look like dog fennel leaves. plant is very small mostly just a stem with the flower.
Thank you …i could not find it on your site…which by the way I refer folks to all of the time ..it is great! Was also at herb conference and did your walk with you….very nice as well.
Thank you so much for The information that you put on your website. Do all of the above false dandelions have hollow stems?
I don’t think so.
Hi, do you know a dandelion look-alike (or perhaps it is dandelion?) with very similar dandy leaves, but with slight purple-ish tinge to leaf margin and a single line of tiny purple hair along stem? Otherwise smooth. This is in a prepared bed with lots of room so it’s lush, tender leaves, about a foot diameter clump. Not flowering while dandelion near by is. Thank you for you awesome site!
Please, what color is the blossom and where on earth is it?
Massachusetts. No blossom… yet? Nearby dandelions have flowered.
I just tried it. It tastes like Asian lettuce with the same amount of subtle bitterness. But the texture is too rough. So, in the future I will pickle it and cut it to very small pieces before I use it for stir frying with pork or other meat, especially in winter time when I can’t grow any vegetables. I will also use them for my noodles to enhance the flavor and increase my mineral intake. I assume it has the same amount of calcium as true dandelion.
I’ve thrown P. carolinianus into a lot of herbal teas I’ve made before and I can say it certainly has some of the same qualities as dandelion blossoms. Herbal teas made with the flower heads give a nice, rich brown infusion that can take some time getting used to but goes down smoothly in the end.
I just saw seeds for sale from Bakers Creek (rareseed.com) that are like one post inquires about. The middle of each leaf is a purple/red that is really pretty. Italiko rosso. Thinking about getting some. Neighbors already think I’m crazy letting weeds grow in my yard. What will they think when they find out I buy and purposely plant some. I have always loved dandelions. Wrote a poem about them when I was in high school 🙂 Made a LOT of flower crowns out of them, too. Great bioaccumulators.
I would love to see side by side pics showing the differences when discussing similar plants
How can I attach a photo for plant identification?
That is what the Green Deane Forum is for.
Thanks for all you do! Can you extract Vit D from False Dandelion flowers as with regular dandelion?
Have you ever made or considered making dandelion wine from Carolina False Dandelion? Very curious if substituting the dandelions would be successful. Thanks
can false dandelion cats ears be feed to rabbits
False dandelion is a toxic weed. Causes neurological problems in horses and humans. Do not eat this. In very low amounts you “may” not have an issue, but you don’t even address this in your article.
The source please…
Flash dandelion has been reported to have toxic side effects in horses when eaten over a long period of time. Not humans.
The false dandelions here on the north coast of NSW, which is on the east coast of Australia, do close up at night. (Branching stems, solid stalks and more tgSn one flower per plant/main stalk.