Goatsbeard (Tragapogon Pratensis) Common name Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, as the flower opens early in the morning and closes as soon as it has been pollinated, often before midday; meadow salsify, showy goat's-beard or meadow goat's-beard is a biennial plant in the Asteraceae family, distributed across Europe and North America, commonly growing in fields (hence its name) and on roadsides. It flowers between June and October and its flowers have a diameter of 5-9 cm. The root and buds are edible, and it has a milky latex sap.