Tragopogon dubius
- noun
- Specialized
:
Tragopogon dubius
- The hollow stems of Tragopogon dubius make it easily identifiable compared to other wildflowers.
Examples
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Tragopogon dubius is commonly found along roadsides and in open fields across North America.
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Gardeners sometimes plant Tragopogon dubius for its attractive yellow blooms and unique seed heads.
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The Tragopogon dubius blooms in late spring.
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I spotted a Tragopogon dubius during my hike yesterday.
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Tragopogon dubius is often seen in grassy areas, where its pale yellow flowers attract many pollinators.
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Many people appreciate Tragopogon dubius for its tall stature and bright blossoms in their gardens.
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The distinctive long leaves of Tragopogon dubius distinguish it from other plants in the wild.
Synonyms
A plant from Europe that lives many years with long narrow leaves and pale yellow flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
Tragopogon + dubius
This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) functioning as a fixed taxonomic label rather than a regular English phrase whose meaning is composed from its parts. Even if a learner knew the genus name and the Latin adjective 'dubius', the label does not transparently yield the descriptive meaning ('a European perennial plant with hollow stems…') and behaves like a proper name, so the sense is not predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Tragopogon dubius comes from old Greek and Latin words: tragos meaning 'goat' and pogon meaning 'beard', because the plant's fluffy seed head looks like a goat's beard. The second part 'dubius' means 'doubtful' and may show that early writers confused it with similar plants, so the name helps us picture this pale yellow wildflower and its beard-like seed head today.
