I recently got asked how to tell Dandelion (Taraxacum) from Catsear (Hypochaeris) in the early stages of their growth.
If you're a little familiar with them already, you'll know how to tell them apart when they're flowering or nearly so but you can get a step ahead of them with this basic tip.
If you look at the leaves, Dandelion leaves tend to have a redder midrib. The indents in the leaves usually cut right to the midrib if you're a handy person, they're more jagged like a jointer saw blade than a circular saw blade.
Catsear are usually not indented so far and are generally smoother and more even looking from the point of the edges. Once again, with the handyperson analogies, they're more like a regular wood saw than a Bow saw, like the Dandelion is
I say 'usually' and 'tend to have' because Dandelions can put out less and more regularly indented leaves, especially on shadier, moister locations (that's just my observation).
If you mix the two up, it's not the end of the world. Catsear plants are quite edible and nutritious, you just won't get all the medicinal benefits of Dandelions
Some of you may have seen that I've been writing a series of posts about herbs and making herbal remedies at home. I want to share what I know of this topic so that, as the world gets crazier, folks will have other avenues of medical care, namely those of themselves and their community. If you look back over this blog, you can see heaps of info on the topic, plus loads and loads of posts on herbs and using Australian bushfoods from a white perspective. If you haven't been around on in the @hivegarden and @naturalmedicine communities for long, you may be interested in looking back. There's w-a-a-a-a-y too much there for me to repost and the Hive system doesn't let you vote on old posts so, if you're happy with what you find, I believe that there is now a tip option...
