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Laura,
What you've got there is Salsify, or Oyster Plant, Tragopogon
porrifolius. It also comes in yellow, which is more common than the lovely
purple-blue one you have.
It is caled Oyster Plant because the root has a
seafood flavour, with hints of artichoke, and it is an old edible wild plant,
cultivated in the Mediterranean for thousands of years. As a child, I had an
elderly German neighbour who used to grow it & make a sort of pie with it,
with a tart-type crust, sort of like French onion pie, with cheese, etc. It was
really good.
Like dandelion & many others of its
relatives, Salsify gives a milky sap when you break its stem, especially near
the flower bud. I don't know much about what it means in your field, I know it
grows in a lot of diverse places & is a tough little
plant.
Strength & Wisdom,
Micah
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