Unusual plant

[David M]

Whilst searching for Glanville Fritillaries at Wrecclesham yesterday, I saw this plant growing in the field which stood out from all the others.

I've never seen it before and although it looks more like a garden flower to me, it was a good distance away from the urban areas.

Does anyone know what it is?



It was growing in isolation which makes me think it's a garden species



It was a particularly attractive plant though

[Paul Wetton]

Hi David

The site was interesting and the Glanvilles were great.

I think the flower is a species of Goatsbeard Tragopogon. These are what produce the huge Dandelion clocks as we called them as kids although this one is not a Dandelion.
Nice photo by the way.

[David M]

Hi David

It was good to meet up with you yesterday. I was the one with the large camera.

The site was interesting and the Glanvilles were great.

I think the flower is a species of Goatsbeard Tragopogon. These are what produce the huge Dandelion clocks as we called them as kids although this one is not a Dandelion.
Nice photo by the way.

I didn't realise that was you, Paul. You were the guy who showed me the underside shots of the Glanville, I presume?

Thanks for the flower ID. Looks like it's also known as Salsify or Oyster Plant.

[Paul Wetton]

Hi David I edited my post having realised I was probably there too late in the day to have met up with you so it wasn't me.
Hopefully we'll get chance to say hello at some other interesting site.

[Susie]

Salsify is an immigrant and it was grown by the Victorians as a vegetable I believe.

[EricY]

I once grew it as a vegetable nearly 50 years ago - never again lol ! Eric

[David M]

Salsify is an immigrant and it was grown by the Victorians as a vegetable I believe.

What part of the plant is used? The leaves seemed pretty thin and unappetising.

[EricY]

David,
It's the root quite long & much thinner than a carrot. Either this one or one called Scorzonera had a black root, neither were very appetising! Eric

[David M]

David,
It's the root quite long & much thinner than a carrot. Either this one or one called Scorzonera had a black root, neither were very appetising! Eric

Thanks for that Eric.

What do they taste of?

[Padfield]

They're rather bland. The Swiss love them and sell them in tins, a bit like asparagus in tins, but asparagus is far more interesting!

Guy

[EricY]

bland is a good word for it, thats why our carrots, parsnips & swede are so popular here. Rather surprised the Swiss love them & actually put them in cans, takes all sorts as they say! Eric

[David M]

They're rather bland. The Swiss love them and sell them in tins, a bit like asparagus in tins, but asparagus is far more interesting!

Guy

Guy, is there nothing that you don't know about?

You should apply for a few TV quizzes. I'm sure you'd slaughter the opposition.

[Padfield]

How about a UK Butterflies team on Eggheads? Good publicity for the cause and possibly a little money for the cause too...

Guy

[David M]

How about a UK Butterflies team on Eggheads? Good publicity for the cause and possibly a little money for the cause too...

Guy

Guy, you wouldn't need to be part of a team. You'd clean up on your own!

We have a quiz show called 'Pointless' over here which is on BBC2 at 1630 every weeknight. The aim is to pick as obscure an answer as possible that none of the 100 people surveyed said. Eg: Name any of the 15 OPEC members?

If you'd said Saudi Arabia, that'd be a poor answer, because it featured high on the random sample. If you'd have said Gabon though, that'd have got you ZERO points, the 'maximum' score possible (i.e. nobody in the sample said it).

At the end of the show, if you've got into the final, you have 3 categories to choose from. I can just imagine Guy Padfield from Switzerland selecting 'root vegetables' from the available options and stunning the audience into silence with 'Goatsbeard'.

[Lee Hurrell]

I was at Wrecclesham between 08.00 and 09.45 on Saturday. I spoke to a couple of chaps (I think they were Sussex BC members) who were then heading to Oaken Wood and I then bumped into them again at Park Corner Heath.

Anyway, I saw that plant and have it in one of my photos (which are to follow).

Cheers

Lee

[David M]

I was at Wrecclesham between 08.00 and 09.45 on Saturday. I spoke to a couple of chaps (I think they were Sussex BC members) who were then heading to Oaken Wood and I then bumped into them again at Park Corner Heath.

Anyway, I saw that plant and have it in one of my photos (which are to follow).

Cheers

Lee

I may have seen you from afar, Lee. I spoke to those two guys just after 9am and I noticed someone else busy taking photographs in the Ox-Eye Daisy patch which I guess would have been you?

[Lee Hurrell]

That was me! I had a hat on too.

Those 2 guys I didn't speak to, apart from a hello I think. They were there when I got there at 8, went off and then came back.

So was that you in a red T-Shirt?

Cheers

Lee