Name that weed?

[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.



older and flowering complete with milkweed bug about to feed.

[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:

[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 [I]alternate[I] leaf arrangement, 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/fo...splay.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=V1Kqp...eature=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=gdtOF...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=zyCzT...feature=relmfu

[delmar]

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.