Wiesen-Bocksbart (MVP) · iNaturalist

Wiesen-Bocksbart

Tragopogon pratensis

Summary ⁷

Tragopogon pratensis (common names Meadow Salsify, Showy Goat's-beard, Meadow Goat's-beard or Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon) is a biannual plant in the Asteraceae family, distributed across Europe and North America, commonly growing in fields (hence its name) and on roadsides. It is found from in North America from southern Ontario to Massachusetts; most of England; on the eastern and southern edges of Scotland; and central Ireland but not the coastal edges.

Description ⁸

It grows 30 to 100 cm tall.

It differs from Viper's-grass (Scorzonera humilis) in that Viper's-grass has short, pale green bracts, whereas in Goat's-beard they are long and pointed.

The lower leaves are 10 to 30 cm long, lanceolate, keeled lengthwise, grey-green, pointed, hairless, with a white midrib. The upper leaves are shorter and more erect. It is the only United Kingdom dandelion type flower with grass like leaves.

The flower heads are 5 cm wide. They only open in the morning sunshine, hence the name 'Jack go to bed at noon'.

The achenes are rough, long beaked pappus radiating outwards interwoven like a spider's web of fine white side hairs (referred to as a "Blowball").

Usage ⁸

Young shoots and roots of Meadow Salsify can be used in diabetic salads.

In Armenia, rural kids make bubble gum from the juice of meadow salsify. For this purpose, when milky juice is released from the torn stems it is collected on the walls of a glass and dried.

Associations ⁹

Foodplant / parasite
mostly hypophyllous sorus of Albugo tragopogonis var. tragopogonis parasitises live leaf of Tragopogon pratensis
Remarks: season: 6-9

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / pathogen
sorus of Bauhinus tragopogonis-pratensis infects and damages live, purple-stained inflorescence of Tragopogon pratensis
Remarks: season: 5-6

Foodplant / internal feeder
larva of Ensina sonchi feeds within capitulum of Tragopogon pratensis

Foodplant / parasite
Golovinomyces cichoracearum parasitises live Tragopogon pratensis

Foodplant / miner
larva of Liriomyza tragopogonis mines leaf of Tragopogon pratensis
Other: sole host/prey

Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Olibrus affinis feeds on Tragopogon pratensis

Foodplant / internal feeder
larva of Orellia falcata feeds within root of Tragopogon pratensis
Other: sole host/prey

Foodplant / parasite
telium of Puccinia hysterium parasitises live Tragopogon pratensis
Remarks: season: 4-9

Foodplant / internal feeder
larva of Tephritis vespertina feeds within capitulum of Tragopogon pratensis
Remarks: Other: uncertain

Sources and Credits

(c) Crowcombe Al, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/deerleap/3575109853/
(c) Denis Collette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/deniscollette/3677552127/
(c) Sigfrid Lundberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/sigfridlundberg/5943611487/
(c) julia_HalleFotoFan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/68282140@N04/14102237820/
(c) Biodiversity Heritage Library, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/6029270192/
(c) Philip Chapman-Bell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/oschene/4673010306/
Adapted by Bea Steinemann from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragopogon_pratensis
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragopogon_pratensis
(c) BioImages, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22911777

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