YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
What’s that weed?
Posted on August 4th, 2008 – 8:16 AMBy Robyn Dochterman
It took me three years to learn that the weed inundating my garden was lamb’s quarters (sorry, I’m unexcited they are edible). And I finally think I can spot purslane (ditto on the eating thing). Plantain is an easy one for me. But other weeds are prolifically familiar too. I just have no names for them.
I’m not sure why it matters that I know their names, but somehow it does. I can’t just go to a garden center and see them labeled. I don’t really have a gardening pal to ask, and I’d be too embarrassed to invite a master gardener to my “national repository of weeds” yard. I’m too cheap to buy a book on weeds (which would probably give me nightmares if I read it at night, anyway).
Which brings me you. And the power of the internet.
Do you know of any illustrated online encyclopedia of weeds? I’ve been looking for one, but the closest I’ve seen is Weeds of New Jersey. If we can’t find one, maybe we can make our own.
If you know what any of the following are, would you tell me? I have a guess what some are (that first one is ragweed, right?) but I’m completely clueless about others. And if you’ve got a pesky weed you need identified, please send it to me at greengirls@startribune.com and I’ll post it for others to ID. Deal?
19 Responses to "What’s that weed?"
I think the fourth pic is wild morning glory. If left to bloom, it has small white flowers on it–but it is a very invasive vine!!! Is the second pic a rogue sunflower? I have a few of those in my gardens and have let them grow. The birds enjoy the seeds in the fall (especially the chickadees.)
I believe the first one is a small ragweed. Like: http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/ambel.htm
The 2nd one is a mystery I’d like solved too–I once grew one of those for most of a summer, thinking it was some sort of squash. Wrong!
The 3rd is pig weed, similar to: http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/weed_id/pigweed_smooth_common.htm
I agree, the 4th is wild morning glory.
A little googling suggests that 5 is smartweed.
Here are pictures of MN weeds–some of them anyway: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC1350.html
I googled “weed identification Minnesota” to find the extension page.
1. Ragweed
2. Velvetleaf
3. Pigweed
4. Wild Buckwheat
5. Tufted Knotweed
And, yes, I have them all!
Wow. You guys are quick. Thank you for your help. I’ve never even heard of some of these. Now at least I can go learn about them. Chelle, how did you know all of them?
The USDA has a website of invasive and noxious weeds that can be searched by state. http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxiousDriver
oh my.
I have all of these in my yard too. And, I’m afraid I may have actually trained #4 to climb up a trellis this year. (I had tried to transplant some crazy clematis we’ve had after getting new siding on our house) and I think…now that I have this “vine” with no glorious white flowers as I have every year previous to this…and seeing some of it elsewhere along my fence line…that I may have indeed trained a weed to grow up a trellis!
*sigh*
You’re not the only one, Darcie. I actually *transplanted* a bunch of velvetleaf from one bed into four others because I thought it was the “mammoth gray stripe” sunflowers I had planted!
I disagree with #3 as pigweed, but I don’t know what it is. We had bought what we thought was a squash plant last year and one of these grew. It has very sharp “seed pods” that scattered all over the garden. I can’t tell you how many volunteers I have pulled this year.
You all are making me feel much better. Looks like these guys are widespread –and clever imitators. I still can’t get over that I’ve seen millions of ragweed plants in my gardening years, and I didn’t know that’s what they were.
and don’t the ragweed smell somewhat nice when you pull them?
I have those darn things EVERYWHERE in my yard…
Is #3 a kind of amaranth?
In more southern-farm areas, Wooly Cupgrass is a weed problem for crops. I just like the name! And Nutsedge, too.
I have a whole weed garden this year because I gave up on a bunch of seeds that I planted. Sparklegirl can attest to that. I thought I would have this beautiful flower garden and instead got plenty of #2 and #3 instead. I thought i leave them for a while to see if anything would flower, but it looks like I have a lot of work to do.
For a little weed ID, I like this site as well:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC7376.html
That’s a useful site, Jaime. Thanks. I laughed, though, because I apparently need the 3-5 FEET HIGH stage, not the 3-5 leaves stage!
I always call #4 bindweed - but maybe that’s a common name or slang or something? Also, it does not flower, or if it does they are so tiny as to not be worth the seeds that quickly form and plant themselves all over again!
Good lord! If #1 is ragweed, I better pull the ones in my garden right quick before they bloom, as I think I’m allergic to it.
I’m actually quite fascinated by all the ways weeds fool and outwit us in the garden. Mimicry is just one way, releasing the plant and keeping the root system in tact when you try to pull them is another I find interesting.
This is what I believe the weeds are:
1) common ragweed
2)Velvetleaf
3)Virginia Copperleaf
4)Wild buckwheat
5) Smartweed
Lorika, I thought #4 was bindweed, also. It sure binds up everything it can get its tendrils on.
#4 IS bindweed, also called wild morning glory. The flowers are tiny and white. They are so small that you don’t really notice that they have bloomed and shot out some MORE seeds to germinate and sprout. I think that those things will survive along with cockroaches after the sun burns out.
I can’t believe you have exactly all the weeds that are the most prolific in my garden. At least #3 pulls up like a breeze, the root system is pathetic, but it grows everywhere in my shade garden. I just started getting #5 this year, very strange.
I’ve fought purslane for years, not realizing that it made seeds even when it was pulled up, using the reserved moisture from the stem. But you may want to rethink it as a new “green” landcape plant. http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/purslane.htm
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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