The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

common salsify, oyster plant, purple goat's beard, purple oyster salsify, purple salsify, salsifis cultivé, salsify, vegetable oyster

Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, meadow goat's beard, meadow salsify, salsifis des prés

Habit Plants 40–100(–150) cm. Plants (15–)40–100 cm.
Leaves

apices straight (not recurved or coiled), faces usually glabrous.

apices usually recurved to coiled, faces initially tomentulose to floccose, soon glabrescent.

Peduncles

distally inflated.

usually little, if at all, inflated (at flowering, may be inflated in fruit), initially floccose to tomentulose, soon glabrescent.

Involucres

conic in bud.

urceolate in bud.

Outer

florets usually shorter than or equaling phyllaries;

corollas purple.

florets equaling or surpassing phyllaries;

corollas yellow.

2n

= 12.

= 12.

Tragopogon porrifolius

Tragopogon pratensis

Phenology Flowering Apr–Aug. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Disturbed sites Disturbed sites
Elevation 200–2000 m (700–6600 ft) 10–2100 m (0–6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; ON; QC; Europe; n Africa; Australia [Introduced in North America; introduced, Pacific Islands (Hawaii)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Tragopogon porrifolius is occasionally cultivated in Europe and naturalized across much of North America. It grows typically in sites drier than those of T. pratensis and in sites shadier and/or moister than those of T. dubius. As currently circumscribed, it may not be monophyletic, and nomenclatural changes for the populations here may be required. In North America, T. porrifolius hybridizes with both T. dubius and T. pratensis (= T. ×neohybridus Farwell, described from North America, and T. ×mirabilis Rouy, described from Europe).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Tragopogon pratensis is naturalized across much of North America. The circumscription and infraspecific taxonomy of T. pratensis in Europe are debated, and the name T. pratensis may prove to be inaccurately assigned to the introduced populations in North America.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 19, p. 306. FNA vol. 19, p. 305.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Tragopogon Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Tragopogon
Sibling taxa
T. dubius, T. mirus, T. miscellus, T. pratensis
T. dubius, T. mirus, T. miscellus, T. porrifolius
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 789. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 789. (1753)
Web links