Phytochemistry http://doi.org/2bh (2015)

Latex is not only produced by rubber trees. More than one in ten land plants produce this mixture of sap and complex secondary metabolites, which they store in specialized lactifer cells and release on wounding. One prolific producer of latex is the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale agg.). Matthias Erb of the University of Bern, Switzerland in conjunction with colleagues at the Max Plank Institute for Chemical Ecology at Jena, Germany have identified and quantified the major secondary metabolites in the latex of dandelions and tested its defensive potential against herbivory.

Credit: COURTESY OF MERET HUBER

Using a combination of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques the researchers found three classes of compound in dandelion latex: phenolic inositol esters, triterpene acetates and a sesquiterpene lactone. The concentration of these compounds varied between different plant organs, between different plant genotypes and with the age of the plant. But the basic composition of the latex remained similar suggesting that the mixture is important for survival. Indeed, larvae of the cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata, showed a strong avoidance of maize roots painted with dandelion latex extracts.

Various dandelion species and hybrids are actively being investigated as alternative, and more sustainable, sources of natural rubber. However, as this study shows, the chemistry of latex has much more to offer than just bands, boots and balls.