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Taraxacum kok-saghyz - L.E.Rodin.

Common Name Rubber Dandelion
Family Asteraceae or Compositae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards None known
Habitats High mountain regions, usually on light loamy meadow soils[110].
Range E. Europe to W. Asia - Turkistan.
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rubber Dandelion


© Dr. Jan B. van Beilen
Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rubber Dandelion
© Dr. Jan B. van Beilen

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Taraxacum kok-saghyz is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in). It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from June to July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

T. bicorne.

Plant Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves  Root
Edible Uses: Coffee  Tea

Leaves - raw or cooked[K]. The following uses are also probably applicable to this species, though we have no records for them[K] Root - cooked[183]. Flowers - raw or cooked[183]. The unopened flower buds can be used in fritters[183]. The whole plant is dried and used as a tea[177, 183]. A pleasant tea is made from the flowers. The leaves and the roots can also be used to make tea. The root is dried and roasted to make a coffee substitute.

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Alcohol  Latex

The root is a source of a high quality latex, used in making rubber[1, 46, 61, 110]. Yields between 150 and 500 kilos per hectare are possible[110, 171]. The roots are harvested in the autumn, before any hard frosts which can destroy some of the latex. They are then macerated to extract the latex. The root is rich in the starch inulin. After the latex has been extracted, this inulin can be converted to alcohol and used as a fuel.

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1] but prefers a well-drained moisture retentive humus-rich soil in full sun or light shade[110]. Prefers a pH between 5.5 and 8.5[110]. Dislikes very heavy or compacted soils[110]. Top growth of seedlings is very slow at first until the root has developed[110]. It is advantageous to mark out the rows with a catch crop such as radishes or lettuce[110]. This plant used to be grown commercially in Russia as a rubber producing plant. It was trialed in various countries during the second world war and was found to yield a commercial harvest in Britain, Scandinavia and Northern N. America. In a trial in N. America plants grew better in the northern U.S.A. and S. Canada than they did in the south of the USA[141]. With the advent of cheap artificial rubber interest in this plant dwindled. Many species in this genus produce their seed apomictically. This is an asexual method of seed production where each seed is genetically identical to the parent plant. Occasionally seed is produced sexually, the resulting seedlings are somewhat different to the parent plants and if these plants are sufficiently distinct from the parents and then produce apomictic seedlings these seedlings are, in theory at least, a new species.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and either surface-sow or only just cover the seed. Make sure the compost does not dry out. Germination should take place within 2 weeks, though 2 weeks cold stratification may improve germination. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, choosing relatively deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Plant them out in early summer. Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Kazakhstan (southeast), Kyrgyzstan, China (Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (west))

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Taraxacum albidum Perennial0.4 4-8  LMHSNM20 
Taraxacum bessarabicum Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Taraxacum brassicifolium Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Taraxacum formosanum Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Taraxacum heterolepis Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM12 
Taraxacum hondoense Perennial0.3 -  LMHSNM10 
Taraxacum hybernum Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM102
Taraxacum japonicum Perennial0.2 -  LMHSNM11 
Taraxacum laevigatumRed-Seed Dandelion, Rock dandelionPerennial0.2 0-0  LMHSNDM10 
Taraxacum magellanicum Perennial0.1 -  LMHSNM10 
Taraxacum megalorrhizon Perennial0.2 4-8  LMHSNM102
Taraxacum mongolicum Perennial0.2 -  LMHSNM13 
Taraxacum obovatumObovate Leaved DandelionPerennial0.2 4-10  LMHSNM200
Taraxacum officinaleDandelion - Kukraundha, Kanphool, Common dandelion, DandelionPerennial0.5 5-9 FLMHSNM433
Taraxacum platycarpum Perennial0.3 -  LMHSNM10 
Taraxacum pseudoalbidum Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Taraxacum sinicum Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM13 
Taraxacum tibetanum Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM12 
Taraxacum variegatum Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM10 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

L.E.Rodin.

Botanical References

50

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

bioeffekt   Wed May 3 2006

how exactly is the latex extracted from the plant?

Song jun ho   Thu Jan 11 2007

how exactly is the latex extracted from the plant. Where can get the seed of Taraxacum kok-saghyz.

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future   Sun Jan 21 2007

The simplest method of extracting the latex is by totally macerating the plant in water, the latex then floats to the surface. As regards obtaining seed, your best bet would be to contact various botanical gardens, especially those in Russia and China. The plant is often grown in Botanical Gardens and many of these will supply seed to interested parties.

richard   Sat Oct 4 2008

can you get latex from common dandelions (taraxacum officinale)?

Jaime Perea-Suarez   Wed Jan 13 2010

TARAXACUM KOK-SAGHYZ--Where to find extense info about: a) How to get seeds b) Getting the latex and inulin c) Methods of cultivation J. Perea-Suarez British and ColumbianInternational Tel 44 7551 399 244 (UK) E-m:[email protected]

Taraxacum Officinale

EU-PEARLS is a European Research project (FP7) aiming to develop two alternative plant sources of natural rubber and latex: guayule and Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz).   Dec 2 2010 12:00AM

I represent a European research project (link below) trying to develop TKS for rubber and latex production. One discovery was that the dandelion species labeled as TKS in botanical gardens is actually another species: Taraxacum brevicorniculatum. We collected new germplasm in Kazakhstan, which revealed that both species occur in the same environment, and that T. brevicorniculatum is much more vigorous: it overgrows TKS in a few years. I can also send you pictures of true TKS, and more information ([email protected]).
EU-PEARLS: EU-based Production and Exploitation of Alternative Rubber and Latex Sources

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