I'd really appreciate some help in identifying a couple plants

We're in SE Massachusetts, USA.

The first plant popped up in a flower garden. We dubbed it EG (the Enthustiastic Grower). It's about 8 feet tall.

The second plant (OMP- Other Mystery Plant) came up in the vegetable garden. That might be relevant because household vegetable scraps get buried out there. These things have been coming up all summer, but it's tailed off quite a bit in the last month. I'd say I've dealt with at least 1,000 seedlings, maybe 2,000. I let this one grow just to try to get a handle on what the heck it is. It's about 4 feet tall at the moment. They're mostly confined to an area about 12 feet in diameter, but their range extends out to close to a 20 foot diameter.

If anyone knows what these guys are I'd *really* appreciate it if you'd share!! My mother's been gardening here for over 60 years, and she's stumped.

EG

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Reply to
Steve Baker
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EG: If the stem is hollow, leaves and stems contain a milky sap, and the stems are prickly, I think this is sow thistle, a nasty weed.

OMP: I have no idea.

Reply to
David E. Ross

I don't usually try to ID DYCs (D*** Yellow Compositae) from photos, but I'll send you to look among the Lactuca species for the first one.

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second sure looks like redroot pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus, but again, from photos, it's an iffy ID.

Did you bring in manure or compost from an outside source? Birdfeeder?

Kay

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

The stem is hollow, but the sap isn't milky, and it's not prickly.

Reply to
Steve Baker

Thanks for looking!

looks like a perfect match.

That looks like a good match. The pictures and descriptions I found around the 'net all support that ID.

No... except for stuff from the supermarket. ;-)

Hmm. Sometime in the fairly recent past the birds stopped eating the stuff in the feeder that was supposed to be thistle, I think. I dumped a gallon or two of it somewhere. I don't remember where, though. I don't think I would have been stupid enough to dump it in the vegetable garden, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

Thanks again!

Reply to
Steve Baker

Thanks for taking a look!

Do you mean

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the link you posted in your other message? I'm not sure which other names I should be following up on. But that smooth hawksbeard only grows about 3 feet tall (EG was 8 feet tall), and, from what I've read, it does have milky sap.

I'm thinking maybe EG does have milky sap, but I didn't really notice because there was hardly any sap at all oozing out of it. I cut it down, ripped the leaves, etc., off, and cut it all up into smallish pieces to put into a trash bag. When I was done I only had a few little sticky spots on my hands, and just barely noticable residue on the cutting tools.

Reply to
Steve Baker

Well, the sow thistle is supposed to be prickly. I basically tore EG apart with my bare hands, and it wasn't prickly. And (not previously mentioned), the sow thistle has larger diameter blossoms than EG. So, discounting the (lack of almost any sap) milky sap, Kay Lancaster's suggestion to look at the "Lactuca species", specifically Lactuca canadensis, looks like the winner to me. Thanks again, Kay! And thanks to all!!

Reply to
Steve Baker

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