''Tragopogon miscellus'', the Moscow salsify, is a species native to the States of
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
and
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
. Intensive studies over the course of many years have demonstrated that it originated as an
allopolyploid
Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than two paired sets of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two complete sets of chromosomes, one fro ...
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...
between ''
T. dubius'' and ''
T. pratensis'', both of which are European species naturalized in the US. ''Tragopogon miscellus'' has become established in the wild, reproducing by its own, thus deserving recognition as a species.
[Ownbey, M. 1950. Natural hybridization and amphiploidy in the genus ''Tragopogon''. American Journal of Botany 37:487-499.]
''Tragopogon miscellus'' is an herb up to 150 cm (60 inches) tall. Leaves are slightly
tomentose
Trichomes (; ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...
when young, nearly
glabrous
Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...
when mature, with a tip that is recoiled (curved backwards). Flowers are yellow.
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References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15411635
miscellus
Flora of Washington (state)
Flora of Idaho
Plants described in 1950