Scientific Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Tragopogon australis, T. barbirostris, T. cupani, T. eriospermus, T. longirostris, T. marcocephalus, T. orgyalis, T. sativus, T. sinuatus
Other common names
oyster plant
purple salsify
common salsify
goatsbeard
Jerusalem star
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Introduced
Lifecycle
Annual
Biennial or perennial
Similar species
Tragopogon pratensis
Height
To about 4 feet
Riparian
No
Upright plant usually unbranched but may have a few stem branches. The stems, when torn, secrete a milky juice. The leaves are grasslike and may grow to over 1-1/2 feet tall. Each flower stalk bears a single, showy, purple, daisy-like flower head.
Biennial, winter annual or perennial; basal and stem leaves, blades narrow somewhat grass-like, bases clasp, margins smooth, can be hairy or not; flower heads single, purple, stems often inflated near flower heads; flower head bracts in 1 series.
Habitat
Found on agricultural land: crop fields, orchards, vineyards and other disturbed areas like roadsides, waste places and vacant urban lots, often in moist soils. Also found on the sides of woodland trails and in the open areas of coniferous forests.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
6900
High elevation
7100
Flower Characteristics
A thick stalk bears a single 2 to 4 inch flower head at its tip. The flower head consists of 7 to 20 petal-like, strap-shaped ray flowers in a daisy-like cluster surrounded by 8 or 9 narrow, green, leaf-like bracts that are much longer than the petals.
Flower color
Purple
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Grass-like leaves grow in a rosette at the ground level and on the stem. The linear leaves grow about 5 to 20 inches long, have parallel veins, may have a hairy or smooth surface and release a milky sap if torn. The leaf base is wide and clasps the stem.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
Yes
Leaf hairs
Leaves
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is dry, 1-seeded, about 1/2 to 1 inch long, 1/8 inch wide and oblong-shaped with a lightly ridged surface. The mature fruit looks like dandelion "puffballs". Each fruit has a thin projection (beak) at its tip that ends in a tuft of soft white hairs.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Brown, reddish-brown
The seeds are less than 1/16 inch and brownish. The tiny seed can be found at the bottom of each fine white hair in the fruit's tuft. The tuft-like "parachute" of fine white hairs on each fruit is 3 inches wide facilitating wind dispersal of the seeds.