Name that weed?

[delmar]

Since there has been a lot of talk lately about edible weeds, so I thought it would be fun to start a thread about weed identification. So here's how you play. Post a photo of a weed that is growing in your yard that you have been wondering about and see if there are others here who can give you clues as to what it is.
Disclaimer Please do not just take anybody's word for what a plant is. Use the information you get here to give you clues so that you can do your own verification. You are responsible to know what you are eating.
Here is the first contestant I have a lot of this growing on my property, and I'm hoping it is something I can juice, but I have no idea what it is.

9116
Also these are easier to see on my photobucket page.
http://s901.photobucket.com/albums/ac214/deardelmar/?action=view&current=weed1.jpg#!oZZ3QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs90 1.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fac214%2Fdeardelmar%2F %3Faction%3Dview%26current%3Dweed3.jpg

[MysticTree]

I can't see the picture well on my mobile but if no-one has helped identify it by Monday, I'll check it out at work.

[T-Bird]

I have those too - and I'm thinking not edible.

I have looked into the edible weeds, and I eat the lambsquarters and purslane that I've find in the garden. Dandelion, of course.

[MysticTree]

What do the flowers look like? You can usually identify the family of plants from the flowers. What is the sap like? Milky, gooey, watery?

[DebB]

We have these ALL over our back property too delmar. Quite prolific.... :/

[streetsurfer]

This should be a fun thread, thanks delmar. I have a couple I may post later.

At a quick glance of your first entry, I am thinking goldenrod. Get it away from me, though :backsout:. If so, t's one of my "off the chart" hayfever allergens, lol, ahhh-choo.

[SunshineMN]

I remember those. No idea what they are though. I can see why you are hoping to juice them, they look juicy!

[delmar]

I have those too - and I'm thinking not edible.

I have looked into the edible weeds, and I eat the lambsquarters...
Speaking of which, is that what I have here

9117

[streetsurfer]

compare your first one to this. I think goldenrod.

http://www.foragingtexas.com/2006/12/goldenrod.html

Second does look like lambsquarter.

[delmar]

What do the flowers look like?
No idea so far, I just recently started paying attention to such things.



You can usually identify the family of plants from the flowers. What is the sap like? Milky, gooey, watery?I'll try to check that out in the morning and report back.

[delmar]

compare your first one to this. I think goldenrod.

http://www.foragingtexas.com/2006/12/goldenrod.html

I think we may have a winner! I will know better when it flowers I guess.

[Mary Kay]

Delmar, the second picture is most indubitably--- LOL, is that how you spell it? - lambsquarters. For me, here in Ohio, they are just coming into harvest time. If you have a real abundance, you can actually save the leaves and freeze. Don't wash them...pick clean ones.....and stack them in a glass jar, or a tupperware type thing. They keep wonderfully. Well, not good to eat when thawed per se, but good to add to smoothies or soups when frozen.

High in oxalates though, so best to have a vit C source at the same time.

I make 2 diff't versions in the freezer or even fresh: One where I run my hand down the main stem and scrape off all the leaves, where you'll also get stems. Fine for juicing, but the stems are a little stringy for soups or just eating plain in salads.

The other, more time consuming one is where I just pick the leaves without the stem. LOL, this IS time consuming when you do a lot of them!

Mary Kay

[Mary Kay]

RE pics ---it might be helpful if we could see the scale of the plant....Like put an apple next to it or describe how tall it is, for example.

Mary Kay

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Speaking of which, is that what I have here

9117

lambsquarters are high in oxalic acid, so be aware of that. Could be better to have `lamsquarter sprouts' instead.

Why not buy a simple weed book, or do a google search for `edible weeds' and see what comes up. l find it is helpful.

Other good weeds are cheese weed and stinging nettle (makes a nice flavour in your juice).

[streetsurfer]

I don't have a pic tonight (maybe tomorrow) but I will pose the question looking for an answer. I know it.....

What weedy plant has huge leaves of 1-2 feet in width/length, with seeds that will attach to your clothing or your pets fur and were the inspiration for a modern day fastener, and of which one can we eat the roots for it's blood cleansing and diuretic properties (sold in some stores and even has a soda made from it)?

[delmar]

lambsquarters are high in oxalic acid, so be aware of that. Could be better to have `lamsquarter sprouts' instead.

Why not buy a simple weed book, or do a google search for `edible weeds' and see what comes up. l find it is helpful. yes yes, weed books are great, and who could get by without google, but I thought this would be fun. Plus those tools are easier to use if you have more clues to work with.


Other good weeds are cheese weed and stinging nettle (makes a nice flavour in your juice).

[delmar]

RE pics ---it might be helpful if we could see the scale of the plant....Like put an apple next to it or describe how tall it is, for example.

Mary Kaygood idea

[Raw Angel Mom]

I find that many plants look exactly like these when they growth. I am not even sure they are the goldenrod like mentioned. You will have to find an expert in your area. I would definitely not touch it unless sure at 100%. Can you find the plant that are toxic in your area and study those first. If you find out what they are, let us know.

All the best!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

This thread could shape up to be very interesting end educational indeed. l hope it's a beauty! Weed education is always a golden jewel to have.

[streetsurfer]

This thread is a fine idea and I believe it can show us all how to use available tools to help identify. It's a good starting point to help learn that process. Some good points have already been made towards that, such as using a size referrence to show growth habits, and what the sap is like.The tidbits about nutrients, oxalic acid, storage, and use....all good stuff to know.

I have bookmarked, several plant identification sights, and used to frequent them alongside different regional University Extension office sights. It will be interesting to see the different weeds and plants various areas have to contend with. I use a poster of common turf weeds, books on the control of them, etc. but then I come from a turf applicator and turf maintenance background. I now find I often struggle with whether to treat a weed in my own lawn, or allow it to grow for medicinal or food purposes. For instance, I recently deadheaded a Red Clover so it would produce more blooms, rather than eradicating it. I plan to, and have already made tea from it. Three days ago I spot sprayed my lawn including a bed of ribbon grass to knock out thistles that took it over while I was away. Now I wish I had harvested them first, then treated the stalks only. Pulling is the preferred cultural practice to integrated pest management, but it was out of control being what it was, a prickly heavily invasive pest, and was hiding the beautiful contrast the ribbon grass provides against the lawn.

Yesterday before I found this thread, I'd checked out a book at the library on the natural control of common pests and weeds. Ironically, since I have an interest in finding and logging names that have to do with a persons career, it fit right in. The authors name is Flowerdew, lol. (Like Dr. Toe-a podiatrist, Micheal Pollan-a botanist. Dr. Limb-a hand specialist, Sarah Vowell-an author, etc.)

Much of the edible and medicinal part of plant use their lore is new to me. I will learn much through this. Although, growing up with a library of Rodale books nearby (another hint for sources of identification materials), had lots of valuable information in them regarding plants as cures. As this progresses I may share some links to plant identification sights that were valuable to me in my field. I won't say I was out-standing in my field, but I often found myself standing out there, nonetheless.

I think you Delmar are an outstanding member.....thanks for your contributions to the forum.

[MysticTree]

Only just been able to get fresh battery charge for mobile. What you call lambs quarters I call orache. I don't think the first picture is golden rod. The plant with the big leaves, do you mean burdock or coltsfoot perhaps?

[delmar]

Only just been able to get fresh battery charge for mobile. What you call lambs quarters I call orache.
Here in the states, lambsquarter is also called goosefoot and pigweed. It is a member of the amaranth family.



I don't think the first picture is golden rod.
Yes, I think you are right. Since I got to looking at the photos I found another patch of weeds that I am certain are goldenrod. So the first weed I pictured is either something completely different or another variety of goldenrod



The plant with the big leaves, do you mean burdock or coltsfoot perhaps?

[streetsurfer]

Burdock is correct.

[delmar]

I don't have a pic tonight (maybe tomorrow) but I will pose the question looking for an answer. I know it.....

What weedy plant has huge leaves of 1-2 feet in width/length, with seeds that will attach to your clothing or your pets fur and were the inspiration for a modern day fastener, and of which one can we eat the roots for it's blood cleansing and diuretic properties (sold in some stores and even has a soda made from it)?I knew what you were talking about right away, but it took me a little bit to track down the name of it. You are talking about common burdock

9118

The articles I have found say that the roots and young leaves are edible. Is anyone here certain if it is OK to juice the whole plant?

[MysticTree]

Plants for a future database is very useful if you don't already use it.

[SunshineMN]

That's a cool site MT. I looked up burdock root on there and it said you can sprout the seeds and use them like bean sprouts. It also said it was one of the foremost detoxifying herbs in chinese and western medicine.

In the future maybe it will be possible to upload a picture of our weeds and let the computer identify or at least give suggestions about what they might be.

[MysticTree]

it will be interesting to know what the sprouted burdock tastes like if you try them. I think with those prickly seed cases you might have to grow them as micro-greens.

[streetsurfer]

"In the future maybe it will be possible to upload a picture of our weeds and let the computer identify"

There is supposed to be a phone app available or in the works for this. I have heard a little about it but not seen it. You simply scan a leaf. I heard it's concept was thought of by a young teen iirc, and developed with the help of others.

Speaking of youth and plants, I've also see youtube videos of a young teen who has come up with a way to naturally eradicate Kudzu vine from the south where it is such a bane. Something about injecting an inert gas into the soil, iirc. Been a while since I came a cross it.....Go Kids!

[delmar]

it will be interesting to know what the sprouted burdock tastes like if you try them. I think with those prickly seed cases you might have to grow them as micro-greens.I could be wrong, but I think you would open the prickly seed case and take the seeds out.

[MysticTree]

I could be wrong, but I think you would open the prickly seed case and take the seeds out.you might but I'd not be going that route. Too fiddly.

[streetsurfer]

I've not seen butterflyweed grow and spread as prolifically as what you showed in your first post delmar, but you might look it up. They look similar at a young age. These are middle aged ones just starting to flower.

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo346/pasomoto/photo-23.jpg

older and flowering complete with milkweed bug about to feed.

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo346/pasomoto/photo-24.jpg

[Living Food]

At a quick glance of your first entry, I am thinking goldenrod. Get it away from me, though . If so, t's one of my "off the chart" hayfever allergens, lol, ahhh-choo.

I'm not sure if that is goldenrod...it does look an awful lot like it, though, so it could be; I've got some goldenrod growing in my backyard, so I'll check that out and get back to you later when I get back to my house.

By the way, goldenrod is actually not the culprit of most common allergies, that idstinction belongs to the ragweed; goldenrod is merely much maligned because it comes into flower at just about the same time. Goldenrod isn't edible as far as I know (I tried to find out once, but still have no comprehensive information on if the seeds/flowers are; I read that they were on one site, but could never confirm it), but it has many medicinal uses. The leaves can be chewed for sore throats, you can make a tea from the leaves (and maybe the flowers...I don't recall) that is anti-fungal and good for urinary tract infections, and you can make tinctures and salves that do something or other...I knew quite a bit about herbal medicine once, but I haven't needed that knowledge for quite some time and now it's a little fuzzy. I still have all of that information somewhere, but it would take me a while to find it. Ever since I learned how to prevent and cure just about any disease I haven't worried so much about the specifics of X herb does whatever, although it is fascinating how many things can be cured by just the right plant, and it is a very useful skill to have if someone is sick/suffering from something but is too lazy to do all of the important things that will cure them for good (cleansing, diet change, etc).

I do believe I hijacked this thread slightly (*grin*) so I'll be stopping now.

[delmar]

I do believe I hijacked this thread slightly (*grin*) so I'll be stopping now.Not from where I'm standing. Identification is just one point of this thread. What the weeds are good for is the end game.

[streetsurfer]

You may be right Living Food, but:
I was tested for airborn allergens on the plants flowering in the late summer hayfever season through skin scratch testing. Chenopodium (lambsquarter) and goldenrod were higher numbers on the scale (off their scale, actually) for myself than ragweed. For me it was a big allergen. Not speaking for others - I spoke only for my case.

I've edited because this should remain non edible in our case I believe. The lore I've read on this one states it is used medicinally and as food but needs proper preparation because of it's toxicity, which if not followed will cause violent vomiting within two hours. I have not found how to prepare it so it is best left alone. It's berries have been used to dye horses, as ink, clothing dye, etc. It is Poke Sallet, Poke bush and goes by other similar names.
This is a young one tucked under a tree. In sun they get quite large. Song about a gal with it's name included in it.
DONT EAT THIS ONE:
http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo346/pasomoto/photo-25.jpg

[lynch]

I think it's a poisonous weeds that's why you cannot juice. On my backyard there'slots of weeds same as yours and this weeds taken all nutrition from the land that suppose to before my garden.

[streetsurfer]

I have edited my above post to reflect the dangers of that plant. Do not eat it.

[Living Food]

Delmar, I don't think that the plant you posted is goldenrod, although it is very hard to identify from the picture. Common goldenrod has an alternate[I] leaf arrangement, [I]toothed/serrated leaf type, and the venation is generally pinnate. Look up what those characteristics look like and you should be able to tell if it is goldenrod. Unfortunately, the picture is too indistinct for true identification since there are many plants that look vaguely like that, and it's hard to tell which is which without close-up identification.

Streetsurfer, from the description you gave I would say that is a plant of the Phytolacca genus (probably Phytolacca americana, if you live in the US). Like you said, it has many common names (I know it by pokeweed and inkberry). The berries are great for making dye, and the young shoots are edible but unfortnately only if you boil them with multiple changes of water, like milkweed. Some weeds just can't be eaten raw :(

[delmar]

Delmar, I don't think that the plant you posted is goldenrod, although it is very hard to identify from the picture. Yes, I have since found goldenrod on my property and that seems to be something different. I think, unless somebody comes to the thread who recognizes it, I am going to have to just wait until it flowers to find out what it is. I don't have a problem with that because it can't go to seed until it flowers so if it is not edible, I will still have time to get rid of it to make room for stuff that is.

[Meat_Juice]

Repost this question in these forums to get a more accurate identification of your plants:





http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38




When you post your question, make sure its under "Plants: Identification" forum.






I get my wild plants identified all the time from people from this forum. Great way to vastly expand your knowledge of wild plants.

[sandra92]

the picture you posted is not clear so can't tell exactly what type is this.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Need to be careful of the stuff the weed salesman Markus Rothkranz says (he exaggerates ALOT), but he does have fun weed videos such as these and they are good basic guides to weeds.

Check out the video below, especially take note from 4:16 - 5:11.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1KqpuA0hgs&feature=related

1,000 times the nutrition of farm vegetables?? Well, if the vegeies are sold in shops...perhaps, otherwise...no!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdtOFkMQzzQ&feature=relmfu


One thing that is true is that wild foods are much more potent than farm grown foods (see reasons in the short video). l notice that farm weeds are much less potent than wild weeds by a long shot. Wild weeds will burn my mouth out, but farm weeds are much more mild tasting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyCzT4eBq-I&feature=relmfu

[delmar]

9152
What do the flowers look like? You can usually identify the family of plants from the flowers. What is the sap like? Milky, gooey, watery?It is finnaly starting to go to seed so I got a new photo

[delmar]

With a little help from the UBC Botanical Garden Forums I was able to identify my mystery weed as Conyza otherwise known as horse weed. The recommendations I have found are not to eat it raw because it is a medicinal. specifically a diuretic. I think since it is not poisonous I will try juicing it in small amounts.

[MysticTree]

Good to know what it is at last. I've not heard of it.

[delmar]

From what I am reading it does not seem to be native to your side of the pond.

[MysticTree]

That would explain why I couldn't ID it.