| Description | Yellow Goats Beard (Tragopogon dubius) |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | Weeds, Wild Flowers, Biennials, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | at least 5 |
| Sunlight | sun |
| Moisture | normal-dry |
| Soil & Site | normal-dry |
| Flowers | yellow dandelion-like, open on sunny days and may close by noon, green bracts are longer than the petals (ray flowers) |
| Fruit | large globular seed heads of achenes, formed after flowering, achenes (seeds) dispersed by the wind |
| Leaves | simple grass-like, clasp the stem, exude a milky white sap when broken |
| Stems | when broken exude a milky white sap when broken |
| Roots | tap |
| Dimensions | 2-3 feet tall, often listed as a biennial |
| Propagation | seeds |
| Native Site | This an alien species to Wisconsin. |
| Misc Facts | Forms a deep taproot that can be dried and ground and used to make a coffee-like drink. The name comes from the fact that the globular seed head looks like an old gray Goat's beard. The common name "Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon" has to do with the fact that the flowers usually open only during the morning. AKA: yellow salsify,[1] western salsify, western goat's-beard, wild oysterplant, yellow goat's beard, goat's beard, goatsbeard, common salsify, salsify |
| Author's Notes | I have seen birds sit on the plant and pull the seeds out of the pod. The interesting thing is that the seeds have a fluffy tail. The bird eats the seed and lets the tail drop. |
| Notes & Reference | #08- Peterson's Guide to Wild Flowers (Peterson McKenny), #41-Wildflowers of Wisconsin (Stan Teikiela), #157-The Sunflower Family in the Upper Midwest (Thomas Antonio, Susanne Masi) |
Cart
