Purple salsify; Barba de cabra

Description:

Common Mediterranean flower that can reach ca. 1 m high. The stem is 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.

Habitat:

Spotted at a small meadow in a, open evergreen oak forest (Q. illex). Dehesa de Valdelatas

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D500. Exposure Time: 1/2000 sec.; f/6.3; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Focal Length: 90.0 mm. No flash fired. DSC_0869, 0873.