Tragopogon dubius

Yellow salsify, Yellow Salsify

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Yellow salsify is a naturalized annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California mountains, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, central western California, southern California coastal areas, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Great Basin in disturbed places at elevations below 2,700 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces pale lemon-yellow flowers in large heads up to 4 centimeters wide that dramatically expand when forming fruit. Growing with tall, slender stems 30 to 100 centimeters high, it develops elongated stems that become noticeably wider at the tip. Its leaves are long and narrow, extending 20 to 50 centimeters with straight tips that are initially slightly hairy but quickly become smooth. The mature fruit develops into a distinctive white-plumed seed head approximately 25 to 35 millimeters long, characteristic of the salsify genus.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed places

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: < 2700 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRH, SN, GV, CW, SCo, TR, PR, GB

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.