Purple salsify, Barba de cabra

Biennial wildflower, native to Mediterranean regions of Europe. The plant grows to around 120 cm in height. As with other Tragopogon species, its stem is largely unbranched, and the leaves are somewhat grasslike. It exudes a milky juice from the stems. The flower head is purple and about 5 cm across, and each is surrounded by green bracts which are longer than the petals (the ligules of the ray flowers). The flowers are hermaphroditic, and pollination is by insects. The root, and sometimes the young shoots, of T. porrifolius are used as a vegetable, and historically the plant was cultivated for that purpose