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lized parts of the world, and in this country is naturalized from 

 Europe. With the exception of the South, it is very abundant 

 throughout the United States in fields and waste places, and it is espe- 

 cially troublesome in lawns and meadows. 



Description. — The dandelion is so well 

 known a weed, especialby in lawns, that 

 it scarcely requires a description, almost 

 everyone being familiar with its rosette 

 of coarsety toothed leaves, golden-yel- 

 low flowers, and round fluffy seed heads. 

 It is a perennial plant of the chicory 

 family (Cichoriaceee), and it may be 

 said to be in flower throughout almost 

 the entire year. In spring the young 

 leaves are collected and used for greens 

 or salad, but the part employed in med- 

 icine is the root. The flowering stem 

 of the dandelion is usually longer than 

 the smooth, shining green, coarsety 

 toothed leaves, reaching a height of 

 from 5 to 10 inches. It is erect, 

 smooth, naked, and hollow, bearing at 

 the summit a solitary yellow flower 

 head, which opens in the morning and 

 only in fair weather. The entire plant 

 contains ;i white, milky juice. 



Part used. — As already stated, the 

 root of dandelion is used medicinally. 

 It is a large taproot, sometimes 20 

 inches long, thick and fleshy, dull-yel- 

 low or brownish on the outside, white 

 inside, practically without odor, and 

 bitter. (Fig. 4.) Dandelion is often 

 used as a tonic in diseases of the liver 

 and in dyspepsia. 



The best time for digging dandelion 

 root is from July to September, dur- 

 ing which time the milky juice becomes 

 thicker and the bitterness increases. 

 It-should be carefully washed and thor- 

 oughly dried. Dandelion roots decrease considerably in size by dry- 

 ing, weighing less than half as much as the fresh roots and becoming- 

 wrinkled lengthwise. The dried root should not be kept too long, 

 as drying diminishes its medicinal virtues. 



Fig. 4.— Dandelion root. 16 inches long. 



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