goatsbeard, common name for plants of the genus Tragopogon (see salsify) of the family Asteraceae (aster family) and of the genus Aruncus of the family Rosaceae (rose family), related to the spiraeas. False goatsbeard, a saxifrage, is named for its resemblance to Aruncus. The two families are classified in the orders Asterales and Rosales, respectively. These orders belong to the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida.