Tragopogon pratensis

Meadow Salsify, Showy Goat's-beard, Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon

[not native to the Mid-Atlantic area]

[ click on any image below to see larger version ]

Family: Asteraceae (Aster / Sunflower family)

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: April - August

Meadow Salsify is a biennial that was originally from Europe and western Asia, but is now found throughout much of North America. Its flowers open in morning sunshine and close up in early afternoon, giving it one of its common names 'Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon'. The genus name Tragopogon is derived from the Greek words 'tragos' meaning 'goat' and 'pogon' meaning 'beard'. Its species epithet pratensis means 'of the meadows'.

Key ID features that distinguish it from its close relative Yellow Salsify (Tragopogon dubius) include:

• ray petals are bright yellow and are equal or longer than the longest phyllaries
• phyllaries have reddish purple (not green or pale) margins
• peduncle is not noticably swollen below the head and fruit
• leaf tips are curled (not straight)

Its seedheads look a bit like giant dandelion heads, with each seed having a pappus that aids in wind distribution.

24 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	26 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	26 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	26 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA (length of developing ray petals already equal to phyllaries)
24 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	25 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	24 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA (purple margins on phyllaries) (short phyllaries compared to ray petals)	24 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA (purple margins on phyllaries) (short phyllaries compared to ray petals)
24 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	24 June 2026 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA

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