# Identify this flower (friend or foe) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594 "2016-06-05T18:13:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/1 "2016-06-05T18:13:44Z")
I live in Northwest Montana and have started to see this plant/flower pop up on my property. At first it was one or two, and now there are dozens. My gut reaction is that it’s probably a weed, but before I start ripping them out of the ground I’d like to know what it is and if it’s a friend or foe. Can someone fight my ignorance? [pic1](http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/sshapero/media/IMG_0214.jpg.html) [Pic2](http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/sshapero/media/IMG_0215.jpg.html?o=1) ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/2 "2016-06-05T19:40:05Z")
That looks to me like [yellow salsify](http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Wildflower/plant-Salsify-Yellow-bloom-big.html) or some relative of it. Some view this as a weed, others would call it a wildflower. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/3 "2016-06-05T20:43:36Z")
You could bring the picture of it to a flower shop and see if they know what it’s , some wildflowers are under protection . ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/4 "2016-06-05T22:07:17Z")
Yellow Goat’s Beard. Tragopogon spp. ? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/5 "2016-06-05T23:49:29Z")
Thanks. Good leads. I will investigate further. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/6 "2016-06-06T00:34:49Z")
Yes as noted by **pinkfreud** , yellow salsify. If you didn’t plant it, then it is a weed. They do have an interestingly large dandelion type seed dispersal structure. PS Excellent picture, making identification possible. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/7 "2016-06-06T00:46:41Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > That looks to me like [yellow salsify](http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Wildflower/plant-Salsify-Yellow-bloom-big.html) or some relative of it. Some view this as a weed, others would call it a wildflower. Agreed. Tragopogon dubius. It’s a European invasive, all over the place now. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/8 "2016-06-06T02:01:25Z")
> [@](#): > > if it’s a friend or foe. we call them “volunteers” and if they are pretty we just let them grow. ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/9 "2016-06-06T04:25:25Z")
Those are so cool because after they are done blooming the get a seedhead just like dandelions but even bigger. ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-flower-friend-or-foe/756594/10 "2016-06-06T11:15:31Z")
You can also call it vegetable and eat it: [salsify recipe](https://www.google.ch/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=salsify+recipe&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&ei=GFpVV9XAFpeEaPjfhqgI#)