This beautiful flower is to be found in the hedgerow on my dog walk and also in a friend's garden. I've had a look in my wild flower book and corn cockle is the best I can come up with. It's not quite the same though, and I read that the seeds of corn cockle are poisonous. Can anyone help with a true identification please? The leaves are the same, long and grass like.
It's salsify!
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/c18.0.403.403/p403x403/484243_390582520977169_416972475_n.jpg
Indeed it is!Thanks Flighty. I shall grow some. Never tasted it.
You're welcome! A lot of people seem to grow it for the flowers not to eat. I've never tried it myself so can't tell you what it tastes like.
Its lovely if a bit fiddly to prepare. It has a very mild, in between carrot and parsnip flavour. They have a thinnish root which can often be forked.
I have seeds but because of the poor weather I didnt sow them this year.
Looking around, it seems to be rampant on the golf course for some reason :o. (only in the rough by the fence though) I think it's pretty enough to have in the garden so I'll wait till it seeds.