Tragopogon pratensis

Meadow salsify ( Tragopogon pratensis ), illustration

The meadow salsify ( Tragopogon pratensis) is a form- rich flowering plant in the sunflower family ( Asteraceae).

Features

The perennial, herbaceous plant grows up to 70 inches high. Your juicy parts of the plant contain milky sap. From the fleshy taproot of smooth, slightly above swollen stem that is hollow on the inside grows. The surrounding it, up to 50 centimeters long, grass -like leaves are semi amplexicaul, narrowly linear and tapering. The center of the sheet passes through the length a whitish stripes. Frequently the leaves from the middle are bent downward or kinked.

The plant flowers from May to July. Your inflorescences and then about eight clock and close around noon again. They are pollinated primarily by beetles and flies. The flower heads of the plant sitting on relatively long, leafless, leafy, axillary stems that do not thicken or to head out poorly. The depending on the subspecies four to seven inches large flower heads are composed of yellow ray flowers and are bordered by eight pointed bracts that in the nominate T. p. ssp. pratensis are about as long as the ray florets and constricted above the ground. In particular, the inner bracts are by hair usually sooty - blackish. Characteristic are the at the top of brown - purple stamens, giving the head a speckled appearance. The withered, withered florets from the collapsed bracts protrude like a " goatee " from the former bloom. This gave the plant its name.

The (including beak ) from 15 to 25 millimeters long, smooth fruits at margins of meadows - goat beard are long beaked. The feathery pappus it serves as a flight organ and gives the aussamenden plant which is typical of many Compositae " Dandelions " look.

Pictures

Single flower heads

Fruit stand

Eastern Meadow Salsify, habitus

Ecology

The meadow salsify is usually a two-year half- rosette plant, rare annuals overwintering or persistent ( then possibly as a rhizome Geophyt ). He has a deep reaching tap root and carries chyle. Its flowers are "basket of flowers leontodon type ". They are only in the morning and only open in good weather. The baskets are 20-50 individual flowers available. The corolla tube of the marginal flowers are 6-7 mm long, the middle 5 mm long. As pollinators are bees, butterflies and Hummelschweber in question. Spontaneous self-pollination is possible because the two stigma lobes last umkrümmen spiral and thereby affect the Fegehaare where still able to adhere pollen. The fruits are achenes with up to 4 cm wide, very pretty " parachutes ". They spread as Schirmchenflieger. The screen is particularly dense at the top by interweaving the Pappushaare. Also spread as water and as Misty Misty Velcro is possible because the 5 main Pappusstrahlen are rough. Since the screen breaks easily, even a random distribution is possible.

Dissemination

The species is native to Europe, comes up to the Urals, but is largely absent in North Europe. In North America, the meadow salsify has been introduced.

You can find the Meadow Salsify used in fat meadows, rare in wegbegleitenden weed corridors. He prefers fresh, nutrient -and base- rich, medium to deep soils. Waterlogging he avoids, but loves summer heat. After Ellenberg he is a half- light plant, a weak acid to weak base pointer and a Verbandscharakterart the oat grass meadows ( Arrhenatherion ).

System

Within the family belongs to the meadow salsify to the subfamily Cichorioideae, Tribe Lactuceae and subtribes Scorzonerinae. For Meadow Salsify include several clans. These are interpreted depending on the author as subspecies or as its own small ways.

• Big meadow salsify ( Tragopogon pratensis subsp. Grandiflorus ( Saut. ) Rothm. ) And
• Eastern meadow salsify ( Tragopogon pratensis subsp. Orientalis (L.) Čelak. ) Are summarized by Fischer in 2005 in Tragopogon orientalis
• Small meadow salsify ( Tragopogon pratensis subsp. Minor ( Mill.) Wahlenb. )
• Common meadow salsify ( Tragopogon pratensis subsp. Pratensis Tragopogon pratensis s.str or. )

Use

The Meadow Salsify is edible in all parts. The instinct of the young plant delivers a vegetable that is reminiscent of asparagus. The root can be prepared similarly as salsify. The leaves can be used raw or cooked.