Scorzonera

Scorzonera hispanica is a unique perennial plant that I have been growing for a couple of years. To the untrained eye, it appears to be nothing more than a large dandelion. Scorzonera does have rather dandelion-like flowers, has a deep taproot, and produces a milky latex sap, but is not a dandelion. Scorzonera is used for its edible root, that is sometimes called vegetable oyster (the plant is very similar in appearance to salsify). The leaves are also perfectly edible in my experience. They can be a bit tough when old, but I have never tasted a bitter scorzonera leaf in any season.

I think Scorzonera has high potential for an edible leaf crop.

Scorzonera flowers smell like vanilla.

Scorzonera seeds ripe for the picking.

Scorzonera is a pretty tough little plant from my experience. It is a hardy perennial that has withstood zone 6 winters without struggling. The new leaves taste like lettuce, but they may take some slug damage when they first come up. My only complaint with the plant is that when flowering, scorzonera does not make many new leaves, and has a tall stalk prone to falling over. The picture above shows the large dandelion-like seeds when fully ripe. I am not sure how long seeds stay viable, so I will probably plant most of these soon.