Meadow Goat’s Beard

Adding some variety to our “goat herd” is Tragopogon pratensis, also known as meadow salsify. Less commonly seen than yellow goat’s beard, meadow goat’s beard is distinguished from that flower by the lack of bracts extending beyond the petals, with a noticeably deeper yellow color and leaf tips that curl. Both species are edible and have traditionally been used for their healing qualities.

This  a non-native species found just about everywhere in Minnesota blooming late spring into summer. Look for a “herd of goats” along  open roadsides and in sunny meadows. Each eye-catching flower grows on its own stem in a yellow starburst, with blooms up to 2.5″ across. Like the dandelion and sunflower, meadow goat’s beard is a ray flower in the Aster family.

Goat’s beard is a biennial plant with a small rosette of leaves the first year. The 2nd year, one or more 1 – 3 foot stems ascend from the remains of the rosette with alternating blade-like leaves that are up to 12″ (smaller as they get higher) and strongly clasping the stem. The leaves are long and narrow and coil or curve dramatically at their tips. At the tip of each stem is a long stalk with a single flowerhead. Like dandelions, the leaves and stems exude a milky latex when bruised. The foliage is very easy to miss because it closely resembles crab grass.

Goat’s beard flowers tend to face the sun, so if you are walking along a road some cloudless morning heading east, you may miss them altogether, only to find their sunny faces smiling at you upon your return — but that’s only if you hurry back ! Flowers close completely up at noon!

Seed heads eventually form and dry into huge balls of whitish fluff, very similar to dandelions except for being a gigantic three inches in diameter.