Just in from our Cool Plant Research desk: A team of scientists
at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center are
working on a way to harvest dandelions as a source for natural
rubber. The Russian dandelions, a cousin of the hated yellow
flowers seen in lawns across America, look similar, but contain
extra-bouncy insides that scientists can use as a supplement to
traditional sources of rubber. The Russian species — known
scientifically as Taraxacum kok-saghyz, or TKS – have long,
thick roots that have the right mix of rubber polymers, proteins
and fatty acids in them that contain a natural latex. Break open
a TKS root, roll the sticky, milky white cream that oozes out
around in your palm, let it dry and it will bounce like a ball.
You can read more about the science and techniques of extracting
raw materials from these plants here.