Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |
Flowers: |
Pappus: (white, large-ish, compound) |
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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:
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Tragopogon | porrifolius | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Asteraceae |
Tragopogon (Goat's-Beards) |
Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |