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Elucidating the causes and consequences of polyploidy (whole-genome duplication; WGD) is arguably central to understanding the evolution of most eukaryotic lineages. However, much of what we know about these processes is derived from the study of crops and synthetic polyploids. Tragopogon provides the unique opportunity to investigate the genetic and genomic changes that occur across an evolutionary series from F₁ hybrids, synthetic allopolyploids, independently formed natural populations of T. mirus and T. miscellus that are 60–80 years post-formation, to older Eurasian polyploids that are dated by molecular clocks at several million years old, and finally to a putative ancient polyploidization thought to have occurred prior to or early in the history of the Asteraceae (40–43 mya). Tragopogon joins other well-studied natural polyploid systems (e.g., Glycine, Nicotiana, Gossypium, Spartina, Senecio …