Tragopogon pratensis

Native to western Asia and to Europe. Introduced and naturalized in North America.

Moderate moisture. Roadsides, railroads, disturbed sites. Full sun.

May to August

Bright yellow

16″ to 32″

This is a 16″ to 32″ tall, erect, biennial forb that rises on one or more stems from a fleshy taproot.

In its first year it shows only a rosette of basal leaves. In the second year it sends up one to five sparingly branched, sparsely-leaved stems that terminate in a single flowering stalk with a solitary flower head.

The stems are erect and usually branched near the top. They are often covered with a whitish, waxy bloom (glaucous). They usually have patches of white, woolly or cobwebby hairs when young and are hairless or almost hairless at maturity. The stems and leaves exude a milky sap when broken.

Basal leaves are grass-like, linear, up to 12″ long, and stalkless. They are rounded and wide at the base, up to ¾″ wide, then abruptly narrowed and tapered evenly to the tip. They are sometimes strongly curved backward, often coiled, toward the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are usually glaucous. They are hairy with woolly or cobwebby hairs when young, and hairless or almost hairless at maturity. The margins are untoothed. Basal leaves are sometimes withered by flowering time.

Stem leaves are alternate. They surround the stem (clasp) at the base and are otherwise similar to basal leaves. They become progressively smaller as they ascend the stem.

The inflorescence is a solitary, 1″ to 2½″ wide flower head at the end on a long, leafless flower stalk (peduncle). The flower stalk is not swollen below the flower head. There are usually 8 bracts at the base of the flower head. The bracts do not extend beyond the outer margin of the rays. Occasionally, there are 12 bracts. There are usually 50 to 110, sometimes more, ray florets. The ray florets are lemon yellow to bright yellow and ⅝″ to 1″ long. The flower heads open in the morning and are closed by the afternoon.

The fruiting head is a whitish, spherical pappus, 3″ to 3½″ in diameter, resembling a large dandelion. The peduncle occasionally becomes slightly inflated toward the tip when the plant is in fruit.

Yellow goat's beard (Tragopogon dubius) leaves are straight, not curved backward or coiled. The peduncle is inflated at the tip when the plant is in flower. There are usually 13, occasionally 8, bracts. The bracts usually extend well beyond the ray florets. The ray florets are pale yellow. It is found in drier habitats.