Re: Plant ID needed - Salsify
- Subject: Re: Plant ID needed - Salsify
- From: D* W*
- Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 22:32:24 -0700
Your plant is a vegetable, Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius). It has
a long root like a skinny parsnip, but a totally different taste.
Some people call it oyster plant because they think it tastes like an
oyster. Others disagree.
Harvest the roots as needed after a hard frost in fall or early
winter. The young spring leaves and unopened flower buds are also
eaten.
They have seedheads like a giant dandelion, so the seeds blow far and
come up in unexpected places.
A similar plant, but with yellow flowers, is Scorzonera hispanica.
Its long roots have a black skin and white interior.
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
