Anyone know what this plant is? It is growing wild along the street in front of our house. I’m assuming this is the seed head, but I didn’t see any flowers. The camera doesn’t catch it, but at the end of each stem from the center of the globe is a cup-like formation with sides of very fine and fragile looking golden filaments, each getting slightly heavier towards the base. The sunlight hitting the base of each cup makes it look just like 24 carat white gold. The whole plant stands about two feet tall and the globe is a little larger then my fist – maybe 3-1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.

It’s one of those days I want to stay home and just be outside – then take an afternoon nap. But no, I have to get in the car in a little bit to give myself three hours battling traffic, avoiding the city, to get out to Indiana, to plough through an outdoor pops concert. For which the peanuts they throw at us for orchestra pay little resembles compensation worthy of giving up this gorgeous day!  And then I have to drive home again.  I guess I should be thankful for the peanuts.  Sigh…

2 Comments

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  By Mary Pahl, June 28, 2009 @ 8:33 pm

  milkweed? if you break the stem, does sticky stuff like Elmer’s glue come out? Then it’s milkweed.
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  By marty, June 29, 2009 @ 9:24 am

  Hey Mary,

  Well the magic of the Internet (and Google) once more! I found it is known as “yellow goat’s beard” – Latin name “Tragopogon dubius”. Unfortunately, it is not a native (another Eurasian import) so we won’t encourage it. But it would make a beautiful roadside patch!

  http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/tragopogondubi.html

  http://www.kswildflower.org/details.php?flowerID=220

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