Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Wicked Weed


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Here’s another one I pursue. I don’t know the name so I hope someone can identify it. If you know its name (or even its alias), please leave a comment.

It looks like yellow rocket (Barbara vulgaris) – winter cress.
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But the flowers are white not yellow as in the description. “. . .bright yellow flowers clustered at the tips of the uppermost branches can be observed around fence posts or other structures. . .” (See page 15 in Weed Management in Turf.) The mature height is about 6 inches.

Those pretty little flowers will grow into not so pretty seed stalks. If you come anywhere near them they will violently shoot tiny seeds in all directions.
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Pulling them out after they have seeds is almost useless. They live to grow again

Gotta get them before they go to seed!

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at

6 comments:

  1. Morning Glories in Round Rock3/25/09, 7:50 AM

    I don't know, Marie. But I hope someone can I.D. it, because I have been fighting this weed for two years now.

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  2. Marie3/25/09, 4:40 PM

    MG,

    It was good to hear that I'm not alone in this battle. LOL Misery loves company. Fight on!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Marie3/25/09, 8:17 PM

    I think I've found it - Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)
    http://ipm.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/carhi.htm

    I got a clue from Tina Clinfelter's March 24 post on Gardening in the Keystone State

    http://keystonegardening.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Morning Glories in Round Rock3/26/09, 9:31 PM

    Wouldn't that be something to see it shoot it's seeds 10 feet! I will have to be diligent about not leaving it until it flowers.

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  5. Matriarchy3/26/09, 10:10 PM

    I've got plenty of that weed, too! Last year, I ignored it too long, and it formed those seed pods that pop and shoot seeds all over when you touch them. Now, of course, I Have new weeds all over. Humph.

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  6. Marie3/27/09, 4:47 PM

    Matriarchy,

    I feel silly. I looked at the picture on your blog. I even enlarged it. (It's a good picture.) But, I was too dense to relate it to the weed in my garden. I could have saved myself some trouble.

    Thanks for posting the identification.

    ReplyDelete