There are several plants I was hoping you guys could identify for me, some of which are growing in my gardens, and some in a nearby park. I love to learn about edibility and usefulness too, as I have a very flexible notion of what counts as a "weed". So please let me know anything else you know about these plants. I can take more pictures too, if needed.

This one grows in the park nearby.


I'm pretty sure these are different from the previous plant. This photo was taken in the park as well, but these grow in my garden and are quite difficult to get rid of, as they spread by rhizome and will come back from the smallest piece of root left in the ground.


This is a really interesting looking plant I see in the park, and it looks like some kind of bug finds it rather tasty.


Another one from my yard. It shows up everywhere. I always pull it up before it can go to seed, but I'm wondering if it's something useful, if kept under control.


Thanks guys!

Joel

Hey Joel .. we actually have a specific forum for plant ID .. you'll probably get a better response if you post there.

http://garden.org/forums/view/...

The first one is Motherwort

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)

The last one appears to be an Acalypha of some sort, but I could easily be wrong about that.

http://garden.org/plants/searc...

Don't know the other two.

Second one looks like buttercup to me, and the third one, the leaves with the square ends is oxalis. Both have nice flowers, but will seed and spread everywhere if allowed.

For future reference, Joel, it's a lot easier to identify a plant that's blooming.

As you say, the term 'weed' is subject to each individual's interpretation. Generally a weed is just any plant growing where you don't want it. Or uninvited. Or too big . . . or??

These are just wild guesses on my part.

I agree, #1 looks to be Leonurus cardiaca (Motherwort):

http://www.susunweed.com/Artic...

http://pfaf.org/user/Plant.asp...

#2 does look a lot like Ranunculus pensylvanicus (Pennsylvania Buttercup):

http://www.minnesotawildflower...

#3 reminds me of Polygonum convolvulus (Black Bindweed):

https://www.google.com/search?...

#4 Possibly Acalypha rhomboidea (Three-seeded Mercury):

http://www.minnesotawildflower...
http://www.illinoiswildflowers...

Xeramtheum said:Hey Joel .. we actually have a specific forum for plant ID .. you'll probably get a better response if you post there.

http://garden.org/forums/view/...

Nuts! That's where I meant to put this. Should I repost there?

We can ask @Dave to move this whole post over for you ... then more folks who watch the Plant ID forum can offer ID suggestions.

I already moved it. I always check each "Ask a Question" forum and move it to the right place when needed. It's never necessary to ask someone to repost it elsewhere. Just wait for me to check in and I'll always get them moved.

Thanks Dave :)

So far, I think the correct ids are the motherwort and three-seeded mercury. I'm not convinced of the buttercup, and the third one is definitely not an oxalis. I can't say for sure it's not some kind of bindweed, but I haven't seen one yet that matched up with this one.

Keep the guesses coming!

While I have your attention, here's a couple more plants I'm hoping you can help me with. They were both given to me by a Thai woman who didn't know their English names. Both she brought from Thailand, they're edible and supposedly
medicinal.

This one's growing in my pond.


And this one almost looks like a nasturtium, but I'm pretty sure it's not.

The last one is Hydrocotyle ranunculoides.
https://www.google.be/search?q...

The first reminds me of the herb Lovage which smells of Celery so it's not surprising that it looks like Chinese Celery, Oenanthe javanica.

http://www.lookfordiagnosis.co...

The third photo in the first post is Periscariaperfoliata (formerly known as Polygonumperfoliatum).
It is on Pennsylvania's noxious weed list.

(aaargh! I wish these photos were each on their own thread. )

The flowers are not right for Hydocoltyle ranunculoides. I think it is Hydrocotyle verticillata.

http://www.flowersofindia.net/...

https://www.google.com/search?...

Hydrocotyle americana grows in almost every county in Pennsylvania.

I hope that Hydrocotyle isn't a pest plant like the Dollarweed (Hydrocotyle umbellata) we have down here in Florida.

joelsephus said:While I have your attention, here's a couple more plants I'm hoping you can help me with. They were both given to me by a Thai woman who didn't know their English names. Both she brought from Thailand, they're edible and supposedly
medicinal.

This one's growing in my pond.


And this one almost looks like a nasturtium, but I'm pretty sure it's not.

From further research I've done, I think these plants are, respectively, Oenanthe javanica ("Chinese celery") and Centella asiatica ("Indian pennywort" or "Gotu kola"). I'm not positive about the second one, since I see two different looking plants shown in pictures of Centella. Here's what mine looks like.

Looks like what I spent my morning pulling out of my beds...You can never get it all out! Sure looks like the dollar weed to me ...And yes, I've heard that it is indeed edible.

That is definitely not Centella. I don't know the exact species, but it is Hydocoltyle.