Common name: salsify, oyster plant
Tragopogon porrifolius L. APNI*
Description: Erect biennial herb 0.3–1.2 m high, glabrous, sometimes glaucous.
Basal leaves grass-like, linear, half-sheathing at base, acute, to 30 cm long, c. 15 mm wide; cauline leaves stem-clasping, linear to lanceolate, acute 3–25 cm long, up to 10 mm wide.
Heads 15–30 mm diam., opening in morning and closed during day; peduncles hollow, swollen below head.; involucral bracts usually 8, 3–6 cm long, glabrous or tomentose near apex. Ray florets pale to deep purple, shorter than involucral bracts.
Achenes ribbed, 10–12 mm long, beak as long as body, outer coarsely muricate, inner becoming smooth; pappus 15–25 mm long, plumose, in 2 rows.
Flowering: Oct–Jan
Distribution and occurrence: Weed of roadsides, grassland and wasteland, west to Dareton. Native of Eur. & Asia. Grows in sandy-loam soils in disturbed environments.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS, *SWP, *NFWP
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas. *W.A. *S.A.
Text by L. Murray Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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