# Purple Salsify (*tragopogon porrifolius*)

Purple Salsify is a beautiful flowering plant with bright purple blooms. Kids love to explore its fluffy seed heads that look like dandelions!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Purple Salsify typically grows in meadows, grasslands, and along roadsides.
- **Also known as:** Common Salsify

![Purple Salsify](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Barba_cabra_flor-1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Philmarin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barba_cabra_flor-1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Purple Salsify has striking purple, star-shaped flowers that often close by midday. Its long, grass-like leaves grow from a robust stem, and developing seed heads resemble giant dandelion puffballs, but much larger.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Tragopogon

## Interesting facts

- Its fuzzy seed heads are giant versions of a dandelion's puffball!
- Its root tastes like oysters or artichokes when cooked!
- This plant has been cultivated since ancient Greek and Roman times!
- You can often find its vibrant flowers only open in the morning!

## Special abilities

- **Milky Sap Defense:** Purple Salsify can release a sticky, milky sap when injured that helps it deter hungry herbivores from eating its leaves.
- **Seed Parachutes:** Purple Salsify has fluffy seed heads with parachutes, which help it spread its seeds far and wide on the wind.
- **Solar Tracker:** Purple Salsify flowers can track the sun's movement, always facing the light to attract more pollinators throughout the day.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-100 cm
- **Flower Size:** 3-6 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Biennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Gathers nectar and pollen from its flowers.
- **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Visits the vibrant purple flowers for sustenance.
- **Eats:** [European Rabbit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-rabbit) (*Oryctolagus cuniculus*) — Browses on the leaves and young shoots of the plant.
- **Eats:** [House Mouse](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-mouse) (*Mus musculus*) — May feed on the seeds or young plants.

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Purple Salsify?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Purple Salsify?

30-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on Purple Salsify?

3-6 cm

### When does Purple Salsify bloom?

Summer

### Is Purple Salsify edible?

Yes

### Is Purple Salsify toxic?

None

### What is Purple Salsify's lifecycle?

Biennial

### How is Purple Salsify pollinated?

Insect

## Where to spot

- [Point San Luis Light](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/point-san-luis-light) — California, US · Historic District
- [Meadows Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/meadows-park) — California, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Purple Salsify: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/purple-salsify)