Meet the plants: dandelion
One person’s weed is another person’s freedom flower.
Taraxacum officinale
Often thought of as unwanted weeds, dandelions are actually not in competition with grasses or other shallow rooted plants. They prefer deep, rich soil and often attract earthworms. The word “dandelion” comes from the French dent de lion, “lion’s tooth,” referring to the jagged, teeth-like leaves. The dandelion’s Latin name, Taraxacum officinale, means “the official remedy for disorders,” as the plant has many healing properties. Native to Eurasia, early settlers brought the Dandelion to North America for both eating and medicinal purposes. You can consume every part of the plant. The leaves can be eaten like lettuce or prepared like greens. The roots and seeds can be roasted and ground for a coffee-like drink. You can make dandelion wine or fry the flowers into fritters. Dandelion tonic is a cure-all tincture celebrated by Native Americans, modern day herbalists, and alchemists alike. Dandelion juice is a diuretic, stimulant, and antioxidant. The plant is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. These properties make it a great treatment for diabetes, acne, jaundice, and anemia.
Recently, the dandelion has been appraised as a plain and unimpressive weed that is difficult to remove because of its spectacularly strong roots. Billions of dollars are spent on residential weed control which releases toxicity into the ecosystem. However, the dandelion merits further consideration. When it goes to seed, this weed is magnificent, standing with its signature fluffy white crown above the grass. Then, with one strong wind, its stunning geometry disperses its seeds for miles. Dandelions are sometimes seen as a symbol of resistance, packed with the potential to vastly propagate information, intentions, and ideas. The plant is also associated with hope and optimism. We are reminded of this when children blow on dandelion fluff (pappus), closing their eyes to make a wish.
BEWARE OF THE DANDELIONS -Complex Movements
dandelions encouraged to live their lives at solitary gardens
artist jackie sumell honoring dandelion for Carnaval <3
Green biases projected on to plants normalizes hierarchical language we often standardize and use on humans. When it comes to incarceration and our cultural responses to crime, reductive biases eclipse our ability to celebrate the complexity of our own humanity. Abolitionists work to celebrate complexity, diversity and wholism, even when some of the facts appear to compete. In doing so, we evolve humanity. People convicted of crimes in the US are often treated like the weeds of our society— ignored, dismissed, or even eradicated. The pesticides and herbicides of society are the cultural infrastructures that reinforce what Isabel Wilkerson calls the american caste system, a permanent classification designed to keep human value hierarchical for the sake of capitalism. Ideally, this field guide inspires us to look at weeds differently, through the expansive lens of abolition, so that we can exercise the cognitive muscles that recognize complexity and potential. Dandelion is seen in most gardens as a weed. This view ignores the complex value of the plant as a healer for humankind.
In what ways have we been socialized to limit the potential of others by focusing on one aspect of their history, identity, or personality? How does this also limit us? How do we consciously and unconsciously participate in stereotyping, bias, or racism?
Make a list of people (individuals or groups) that you may have projected the qualities of a weed onto (i.e. invasiveness, unwanted or nuisance). Is it possible that they have much more to contribute? Can we reorganize our relationships with others, and celebrate their gifts and contributions as much as their assumed flaws?
How is this a practice of abolition?