Spring Forage in Florida

Dandelion Envy (Bidens Alba rescue)

If you have ever tuned into any of my live videos or been to the house you know my land is full of wild things. One thing we don't get though is true dandelions. They are just not as common here in Florida. We do get alot of close cousin look alikes but they do not appear to carry the same properties.

What we do have have is Biden's Flower.

Biden like dandelion is often looked over or treated as a weed as it is a very prolific plant. It's name comes from Bi meaning two and den referring to teeth. The seeds get its nick name begger tick or Spanish needle. This though is how the seed travels on animals two spread.

You can see above it's two teeth shape in the seed. They wil stick to anything and everything. In the big picture though it's a mild inconvenience compared to the wealth of benefits.

Eaten in soups or salads it is high in nutrients, it can be used in tea tincture and even used like tobacco. Medicinal use ranges its antimicrobial ability seems thigh target lung and urinary tract infections. It has the ability to lower blood sugar and blood pressure.   It can boost immune function and has anti inflammatory properties. Powdered seeds even have use in wound care and said to help clotting.

So before you cast wildthings in your world aside as just weeds you might want to listen to the Earth first.