Tau-Saghyz

(Scorzonera tau-saghyz), a plant of the family Compositae. The tau-saghyz is a subshrub that grows to 40 cm in height, forming a hemispherical mat. The leaves are narrow or filiform; the lower leaves form a rosette. The ligulate yellow flowers grow in calathide-head inflorescences. The fruit is an achene with a pappus. The tau-saghyz grows in the Tien-Shan, for example, in the Karatau Range, and in the Pamir-Alai, on slopes with gravelly and aleurite soils. The milky juice of the roots and underground stems of tau-saghyz contains rubber.