something you didn't know about dandelions ....

Natural rubber is in high demand by our modern culture – it’s found in 30,000 products, from car tires to latex gloves and condoms – but the traditional source for the latex is under assault from a deadly fungal disease, Microcyclus ulei, which attacks the leaves of the rubber tree. Some experts in the industry believe that a fungal pandemic could wipe out the world’s natural latex rubber supply unless an alternative is found.

Enter the humble dandelion.

The Russian Dandelion was cultivated on a large scale in the Soviet Union between 1931 and 1950, as well as in the United States, the UK, Germany, Sweden and Spain during World War II as an emergency source of rubber when supplies of rubber from trees in Southeast Asia were threatened.

It takes about 1500 plants to make one tyre and they are trying to increase the size of the roots with Biochemistry. Watch a video about this fascinating subject HERE

 

 I just hope the GIANT DANDELION doesn't escape into the wild or we'll have even more weeding to do !