Nature on our doorsteps: Rubber from Dandelions?

Rosaleen Dwyer is the County Heritage Officer at South Dublin County Council – every week she gives us an insight into nature on our doorsteps and the beautiful biodiversity of its plants and wildlife.

THERE are many reasons to welcome the return of the Dandelion season.

Pollinating insects including the honeybee are very glad of the store of pollen and nectar that these wildflowers offer.

People also once waited for the arrival of Dandelions, as they were seen as one of the ‘spring greens’.

They were collected for their rich supply of nutritious vitamins and iron, as well as for their many medicinal values.

When the roots, leaves or stems of Dandelion are damaged, they leak a particular type of fluid from the wound.

This white sap, known as latex, would have been used in the past to treat warts.

Plant latex contains a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, resins, oils, and gums.  Its unpleasant taste helps protect plants from most grazing animals and nibbling insects.

When latex is exposed to the air it turns from a watery mixture into a dry rubbery substance.

Dandelions add a splash of springtime colour to roadside verges

The Dandelion uses this latex to seal the wound that produced it, hoping to protect the plant from further invasion by insects or disease.

Other plants apart from Dandelions also produce latex.  These include the Rubber Tree, from which latex is commercially harvested to produce rubber.

In recent decades, Dandelion’s latex has been investigated to see if it too can be harvested at an industrial scale.

It was found that Russian Dandelion, which is native to Kazakhstan, shows a high potential to be a major producer of rubber.

Scientists have been selecting and breeding Russian Dandelion to increase the production of latex from their roots.

Industrial processes then convert this latex to a high-quality rubber for use in car tyres.

This alternative source of rubber is welcomed because Rubber Tree plantations are currently challenged by disease and climate change.

Dandelions may therefore help to maintain the world’s supply of rubber.

This is another good reason to value Dandelions, and to see them as being more than just a nuisance weed.