I know I've seen this plant before, and I can't recall its name. Here's a link to some photos on Flickr that someone took of the same thing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52074377@N00/2570898933/
I saw it at a rest stop, tried to remember if it's native or not, decided that either way it's kind of interesting, and put the seedhead-puff in my purse.
Because doesn't everyone want something in their garden that looks like a giant dandelion?
4 comments:
Tragopogon dubius? It's hard to tell from the photo. If it is Tragopogon, I agree that it is beautiful. I have always loved the way it reflects golden light. But it is invasive :(
Definitely Tragopogon, and if you were further west, definitely dubius (says my field partner every time we ID one in the field, "Tragopogon? I'm doubtful about that," which always makes me giggle) although there are ten species in the genus. Invasive but edible.
Thanks! I love having friends that can ID mystery plants for me.
It doesn't much look like something I would try to eat, with the milky sap and not-so-tender looking leaves. But I bet the Crazy Wild Food Lady (from one of SpSq's cookbooks) has a recipe for it.
While I'm pretty sure crazy lady has a recipe, so does Alma Snell in a well edited book of Crow food recipes. The roots are used to make "mock oyster stew" common names include oyster plant and salsify.
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