Plant(s) of the week

In an effort to maintain my botanical identity, I decided to start a new feature on this blog, Plant of the Week. I will identify a new plant species from our field sites that I don't know. This will be helpful in:
1) learning a new plant species,
2) keeping up on my botanical keying skills,
3) having something to blog about.

So for this inaugural week I have selected two plants that have caught my eye. Both are purple and pretty.

The first is: Tragopogon porrifolius or Purple Salsify. This common plant is a member of the Sunflower family which can be a chore to id, but this species wasn't so bad. An interesting fact: you can derive a latex from the root that can be used as a chewing gum.
It is very pretty!
My next victim is a member of the Liliaceae family: Triteleia laxa or Ithuriel's Spear.
This plant species is also a common monocot found throughout the bay area. They are also pretty. Liliaceae is one of my favorite plant family because many members are big and showy and colorful.
well there you have it. I have successfully identified 2 out of the 8,000 or so plants that grow in California. Only a few more to go and I can lobby to change my title back to botanist!