🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <edgCsGC4q.rp@netcom.com>, edg@netcom.com (Ed Greenberg) wrote:

> We did a long auto tour this weekend (about 800 miles mostly
> non-freeway) and on passing through the Sacramento Valley agricultural
> areas we kept seeing fields of small yellow and orange flowered crops.
> The plants were about 12-18 inches tall, kind of like fields of shrubbery,
> but the distinguishing factor was the color. We saw tons of this north
> of Sacramento, a few fields along I-5 near the SAC Metro Airport, and
> one field of it along I-5 at the I-580 exit.
> 
> Anybody know what this might be?  Saffron?  Mustard?  


Ed,
      
         The plants you describe sound a lot like safflower.  There are
scraggly looking plants whose seeds yield safflower oil.  Safflower oil
became an important commercial crop some years ago when there was a sort
of "arms race" to market the most unsaturated oil imaginable.  Safflower
oil is highly unsaturated.  I can't think of any other reason to grow it
in such quantity.

Best regards,
George