7 Surprising Dandelion Facts You Should Know

Updated: Jan. 26, 2024

Did you know that dandelions are part of the daisy family and all parts are edible? Learn more fascinating dandelion facts!

Dandelions Are Edible

Dandelion. Freshly picked dandelion leaves in plate.wmaster890/Getty Images
Freshly picked edible dandelion leaves and flowers

Foodies already know this one of our facts—dandelions are safe to eat. From blossom to root, 100 percent of this weed, which is also an herb, is edible for most people.

Find out more edible flowers that are safe to eat.

Dandelion Tea Is a Tasty Drink

Pharmacists in 19th-century England made tea from roasted dandelion roots. The drink is still trendy today, thanks to a coffee-like taste and color without caffeine.

See the top 10 plants to grow for a cocktail, mocktail or tea garden.

Dandelion Have Health Benefits

A cup of chopped raw dandelion greens provides 112 percent of the daily requirement for vitamin A (at only 25 calories).

Enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of gardening.

Dandelions Grow Larger Than You Think

dandelion factsCourtesy Ian Romsey
Dandelions are common sights in yards during spring and summer

Dandelion flowers reach heights of 6 to 24 inches, and roots go as deep as 10 to 15 feet.

Psst—this is the best natural way to kill weeds.

Dandelions Have Lots of Plant Relatives

Dandelions are part of the daisy family, one of the biggest in botany with more than 1,620 genera of plant types.

Learn interesting daisy facts you probably didn’t know.

Take a Closer Look at Dandelions

dandelion factsCourtesy William Milner
The name dandelion comes from a French word meaning tooth of the lion because the jagged leaf edges look similar to a tooth.

A single dandelion head consists of up to 300 ray flowers that look like tiny petals at first glance.

Check out the top 10 classic yellow flowers to grow.

Dandelion Facts in Literature

Use this one of our dandelion facts to impress your bookworm friends. Ray Bradbury’s 1957 novel Dandelion Wine gets its title from the wine the characters make and drink in summer.

Still don’t like them? Here’s how to get rid of dandelions in your yard.