Subject: Dandelions and other Non-Natives

From: [email-masked] (Galena_Canada)
Date: 22 Mar 94 20:34:05 GMT

In <[email-masked]> "John E. Snyder" <[email-masked]> writes:

>Actually, I've heard that the dandelion was grown as a food crop.
> . . .
>I've even heard that they were not native, but rather introduced from
>Europe by the early European settlers.  Anybody?

[Well, I'm not *just* "anybody", but... ;-]

Ah, right you are, neighbor John...

Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale - see how authoritative I sound
on this, just by quoting Latin? ;-), imported during colonial days as
a potherb (I say by French immigrants, my coworker claims German -
anybody? ;-).

Same with most of the species mentioned by [email-masked]
(Sullys Maze) in the INVASIVE NON-NATIVE PLANTS article a bit earlier
(nice article, by the way).  Mostly early food and medicinal herb imports,
some ornamentals (and Eucalyptus globulus TASMANIAN BLUE GUM had been
intended as a lumber tree -- now that's funny!).

Just for the record, since the original discussion was about hybrid
plantation trees; if you're going to plant a non-native, a sterile
hybrid is certainly the most ecologically conscious way to go. 
Wouldn't you rather the yahoos who brought in the Eucalyptus to
California had planted Austrees instead? ;-)
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             'Lena                                                   //
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