SALSIFY

Tragopogon porrifolius

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]

Flowers:
month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug

Pappus: pappusZpossible (white, large-ish, compound)
pappus8jul pappus8july pappus8aug pappus8sep pappus8sept

status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8mauve flower8purple
inner
inner8yellow
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZMany
stem
stem8round
stem
stem8milkysap

29th May 2011, a garden, Norfolk Broads. Photo: © Doug Brooks
Grows up to 4 feet tall. Looks very much like Goat's-beard but the flowers are mauve coloured. Grass-like linear leaves.


29th May 2011, a garden, Norfolk Broads. Photo: © Doug Brooks
The flower has perhaps 15 to 20 mauve-coloured ray-florets. The flower buds are conically tapered. The stems and leaves are light-green in colour.


29th May 2011, a garden, Norfolk Broads. Photo: © Doug Brooks
A larger flower (30-50mm) than its close relative Goat's-beard. The central disc florets deep purple, almost black, tipped with yellow stigmas.


25th June 2011, parkland, Chelmsford, Essex. Photo: © Pam Murden
There are eight long gradually tapering sepals, far longer than the 'petals' (ray-florets).


25th June 2011, parkland, Chelmsford, Essex. Photo: © Pam Murden
One or two rings of dark-purple filaments topped with golden anthers. And several lilac-coloured stigmas converging in the centre.


29th May 2011, a garden, Norfolk Broads. Photo: © Doug Brooks
The seed clock is about 3 inches across, and much more robust than that of Dandelion.


29th May 2011, a garden, Norfolk Broads. Photo: © Doug Brooks
Each parachute of fine white hairs stretched between numerous curved spokes like a spiders web supports and carries a seed at the bottom that is blown far and wide by the wind.


29th May 2011, a garden, Norfolk Broads. Photo: © Doug Brooks
Flower Bud closed up, with 8 robust light-green sepals.


29th May 2011, a garden, Norfolk Broads. Photo: © Doug Brooks
Stems very thick and robust, telescoping upwards with long linear leaves peeling off at any junctions. If broken the stems ooze a milky sap. The roots are edible.


Many similarities to : Goat's-beard which is not surprising since the two are in the same Genus, Tragopogon, but Salsify is mauve rather than yellow. The flowers open up in sunshine, but your Author does not know if, like Goat's-beard, if it would go-to-bed-at-noon.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

More likely to be found in a garden or park that in the wild, but it does escape into the wild, thanks to the seeds on individual parachutes (pappus). Finds root in grassy or waste places, often near the sea. The roots are edible, and it has, and still is, grown for consumption. The stems ooze a milky sap if broken.

Hybridizes with Goat's-beard (Tragopodon pratensis) to produce Tragopodon × mirabilis [the latter having nothing to do with Marvel of Peru (Mirabilis jalapa]. This hybrid has yellow petals which are purple-suffused near the ends - i.e. dual colour - inner yellow, purple at the ends. It occurs (near Salsify) in Central and Southern England only rarely.

Salsify exists as two sub-species:

    (Tragopogon porriflorus) which has petals as long as the phyllaries and the seeds narrow abruptly into a beak. It is probably much the more common sub-species. (Tragopogon australis) which has petals only half as long as the phyllaries and with the seeds only gradually narrowing into a beak.


  Tragopogon porrifolius  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Asteraceae  

Distribution
 family8Daisy & Dandelion family8Asteraceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Tragopogon
Tragopogon
(Goat's-Beards)

SALSIFY

Tragopogon porrifolius

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]

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