Engineering360: "Producing tires with flower power"

Nice to see new interest in the Russian dandelion after decades of neglect.

It's native to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan who know the difference. It may take 1/2 yr vs 7 for tree rubber, but if you have to pull roots to get the latex, you have to plant it again. I'd like to see economics including energy use and ag-waste disposal before I'd say it has a future. Synthetic rubbers exist with good chemical resistance, controllable properties and uniformity. I know the images, but I am a realist not a chemiphobe. Numbers matter for the environment, too, not just for money and consumer price.

I believe it can be grown as an annual, like a "regular" dandelion. One strange thing is that it is a short-season dandelion suited to very cold climates, and there is a closely related species that likes longer hot seasons and mild winters. You'd think that one would get most of the research emphasis.

I've got USDA expert Polhamus's book on my shelf Rubber - Botany, Production and Utilization (Interscience, 1962), and the USDA published several shorter works as well.