About Tragopogon pratensis L.
Tragopogon pratensis L. can grow up to 76 cm (30 in) tall. Its lower leaves are 10 to 30 cm long, lanceolate, lengthwise keeled, grey-green, pointed, hairless, and have a white midrib. Upper leaves on this species are shorter and more erect. It is the only dandelion-type flower found in the United Kingdom that has grasslike leaves. Its yellow flower heads, which are 15–25 millimetres (5⁄8–1 in) wide, are visible from June through October. These flower heads only open in morning sunshine, which is how the species got the common name 'Jack go to bed at noon'. Its achenes are rough, with a long-beaked pappus that radiates outwards and is interwoven like a spider's web of fine white side hairs; this structure is referred to as a "blowball". This species is distributed across Europe and North America, and commonly grows in fields, which is reflected in its scientific name, as well as on roadsides. In North America it occurs from southern Ontario to Massachusetts. In the British Isles, it is found across most of England, on the eastern and southern edges of Scotland, and in central Ireland, but not on Ireland's coastal edges. The roots of Tragopogon pratensis L. can be boiled and eaten like potatoes. Fresh stems and buds can be cooked like asparagus, and young leaves can be eaten raw.
