mystery daisy

[Diane Whitehead]

There is one plant in my vegetable garden that I don't recognize.  It is 5 feet tall and blooming now.  The flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon.

[Diane Whitehead]

Is it salsify?

[William Schlegel]

I bet it has white milky sap. A relative of salsify, dandylion, and several similar genera. The size mentioned is quite large for asteraceae plants in this group though. Even for salsify and it is too branched for Tragopogon salsify. Very interesting.

Some quick googling. Leontodon autumnalis can get to 80 cm. Might be a possible ID.

Is it possible it could be the scorzonera vegetable in bloom?

[Diane Whitehead]

In 2012 I bought seeds of Scorzonera Hoffmann's Schwarze Pfahl.

I guess I sowed some and one plant has been hiding under a group of raspberry bushes.  Finally this year it grew tall enough to emerge above the raspberries and bloom. I think it dies after flowering.

I'll save some seeds and grow them in an open position next year. I hope they'll grow faster than this one did, but if not, my descendants can enjoy the roots.

Diane