Takhtajaniantha tau-saghyz

Takhtajaniantha tau-saghyz is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae.

It is endemic to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Karatau Mountains of Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

Uses
Takhtajaniantha tau-saghyz is of interest as a source of latex suitable for making natural rubber, with latex (in old specimens on average 20%) contained in large roots and underground stems extending from them. The Soviet Union cultivated this species, together with Taraxacum hybernum and Taraxacum kok-saghyz, on a large scale between 1931 and 1950—notably during World War II—as an emergency source of rubber when supplies of rubber from Hevea brasiliensis in Southeast Asia were threatened.