Wild Weed Identification

[roadrunner]

I just found two other plants in my lawn that I relocated to my mulchy area so they don't get mowed over. I was wondering if anyone could ID, but I'm not optimistic in the short term, because they are just past the seedling stage. I will post more pictures later, hopefully with flowers, as the plants mature. But for now this is what they look like:

Plant # 1 is kind of hard to get a pic of, because its leaves are very long and slender in comparison to its height, which is only ~3 - 4 inches. It kind of reminded me of a type of milkweed, but it does not have a milky sap, neither does plant #2.











Plant # 2 looks more like a typical plant, but as of now I think it's too young to ID.

 

[roadrunner]

UPDATE...

Plant #2 above is not a weed, it's a cultivated plant that has reseeded itself from last year, see below:






As for Plant #1 above, it still hasn't flowered, but it has grown significantly. When I took a pic of it over a month ago, it was only a few inches tall; it's now approaching 3 feet tall. However, its main stalk is very thin and its leaves are skinny and clumped tightly together. I first noticed this plant last year and I allowed it to grow, but the flowers didn't show up until autumn. Not sure if that's typical, since most of it I stressed by transplanting. However, when it did flower the bees loved it and now I have tons of these things all over my yard, so it's very good at reseeding itself. Here are some pictures.



It's hard to see here, because they are so thin.





Here's another "weed" that I thought was the same thing, but it stopped growing at ~ six inches high and has already started flowering. Note I didn't use something for scale, but those flowers are about the size of a lentil bean, very small. However, if you notice the foliage looks about the same, especially when the other ones were smaller/seedlings.





BTW, this is the 'weed' I mistook plant #2 for, which I actually already identified some time ago. I forget the name, but it's basically a type of wild pepper plant; that is you can eat the seed like pepper seasoning (not peppers the fruit, rather pepper as in the season, i.e. salt and pepper).

 

[roadrunner]

BTW, as I look at these photos I can see how hard it is to see them. I think I'm going to try it again, but this time with a backdrop, like a white sheet or a white pizza box, so the foliage in the background doesn't obscure the details of the plant in question...

 

[roadrunner]

Here's a pic of Plant #1, I hope a little better quaility, the first one gives you an idea of how tall and slender it is.
I'll post other pics later...

 

[Larisa]

I'm really confused in the number!

 

[roadrunner]

You know....I was thinking about getting a book for ID'ing plants, but it's difficult, since I've noticed that people that love plants make crappy photographers ...And don't get me started on those books that still use drawings to illustrate plants

However, now that I have Larisa...who needs a stinkin' book

What really interests me is that Conyza canadensis. After looking into it, it seems like this plant may also be related to the longer (and skinny) plant that produce the flowers that honeybees go crazy over.

BTW, on the Conyza, I said earlier that those flowers are about the size of a lentil bean, but I was looking at again yesterday and I was wrong. That flower is much smaller, probably about a 1/4 the size of a lentil. It must very small insects that pollinate it.

 

[Beth_B]

Could plant #1 be cosmos? I have a patch that reseeds every year and don't flower until mid-late summer.

 

[roadrunner]

Could plant #1 be cosmos? I have a patch that reseeds every year and don't flower until mid-late summer.

No, it's not Cosmos, I have those and it looks a lot different, especially the flower. My problem is that I can find a flower that looks very similar, but the photo doesn't show the foliage good, so when I find another photo, the foliage doesn't match, then I find foliage that somewhat matches, then I have to go find the flower and it doesn't match.. I was just looking at some pics and my head is 'swimming now', you know that feeling when you get frustrated....I'm going to go ride my bike But I'll leave a few pics from what I've been looking at

If you look at the pics in post #4 (that is same plant as plant #1 in the OP), this is what the flowers looked like, from my memory of last year (I will get pics this year). But the foliage looks different. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...KHUpMBmgQ_B0IxwEwCg&ei=7ef9WMuXCMiCmQHKmJnABg

This is very close, best I can tell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_peregrinus

 

[roadrunner]

I'm still trying to ID the plant in picture #1 (I know, deleted by photobucket...maybe one day I will join another photo website).

So far, all I can say is that I am fairly confident that this plant is in the Genus of Erigeron, but I have yet to ID it to a specific species. The bees love the plant, but it does get really wild looking and intertwines with itself and other plants and the flowering time, here in Jacksonville is this time of year, so you got this ugly looking mesh of plants, but when it does go to flower, they are nice looking, the bees love them and it produces many, many flowers.


P.S. People that love plants make horrible photographers...HORRIBLE, that's a big reason for my problem with ID'ing

 

[roadrunner]

This is the day I've been waiting for since opening this thread, when the plant is fully grown and the flowers are in bloom. Here are some pics, the height of the plant is about 3ft, but that's because once it starts growing and gets a little height, it bends over from its own weight; the actually length of the plant is about 5 ft, maybe longer.

The main stem is only about 1/2" (~12mm) in diameter and has numerous branches that are a fraction of that. The leaves are very small, about 10mm in length and 3-4mm in width and it produces a lot of flowers. The whole plant is very woody, including the very small branches.

Here are the pics.

The bush from a distance

The stems from the ground, note how woody it is

Close up of the leaves (with size comparison)

Flowers:

 

[MaryMary]

Whatever it is, they grow in OH, too. (I always assumed they were some kind of Aster.)

They are hardy, that's for certain! I have seen places in the grass where they have volunteered, surviving weekly mowings and blooming at one inch high!!

 

[Larisa]

It's good to see the flowers!
Symphyotrichum pilosum, the Frost Aster. (Aster pilosus)

 

[alp]

Larisa is always the bright spark here! Apparently, it has very little similarity to Aster. But when I can't remember the name, I call it ASTER! Sorry, Aster!

Sorry for hijacking the thread.. Hope @roadrunner doesn't mind.

I have this

 

[Sheal]

I think it's Plantain @alp.

 

[alp]

Thank you, @Sheal .. Do you know how I can use it? I got it when I dug up my heuchera. I thought it was called plantain, but when I googled, I got nothing, but bananas..

I remember the person on a programme chopped the weed up to use as growth hormone.. How can I use it like that, @Sheal ?

Thank you for pointing it out.