Here are a couple of "wild" plants that I've seen around for all of my life and haven't given much thought to and was hoping someone could tell me the proper names for them. Both of them actually look pretty decorative, and I'm wondering if they are annuals or are perennials that I could transplant.
plant one is bukhorn plantain, plantago lanceolata, and plant 2 is broadleaf plantain, plantago major. Both are very common lawn weeds in the us. The are also edible!
Toad
Thanks for the info. Plantago lanceolata is dead-on, but I think that, going by pictures that I've found, my other one is Plantago rugelii instead of Plantago rugelii.
Anyway, looking at some of the larger plants, it struck me that they looked pretty much as nice as some of the hostas I've started under a tree. I thought that if they were perennials, I might try transplanting a couple of them.
Generally not welcome in most gardens.
Plantain leaves are also a field dressing for bee stings, too, IIRC.
Giselle (crushed, of course)
Because they're invasive, right? I don't mind them around (knowing that they have some herbal/medicinal value which I think is just neat) but I wouldn't be *inviting* any more into my garden than get there by themselves.
Giselle (you never know who they're going to invite over to stay ;)
Weedy, yes. And how do you propose to keep them from seeding? BTW, several species (don't recall which off the top of my head) are considered noxious weeds in some states, which could get you in some hot water in some circumstances.
Kay
The enforcement of federal and state noxious weed laws is a difficult challenge in the midst of so many other enforcement challenges. Nonetheless, to be safe you should look at the EWIRM database for official and unofficial weeds lists and images in your state or province. EWIRM from Ergonica sorts over 200 weed identification references by US state or Canadian province.
Ray ______________________________________________ EWIRM: Nature makes plants, humans make weeds!
As for the issue of me, personally (I was the one that brought up these particular plants, after all) the plants in question were ones that have been around my home all of my life-- so the transplanting I was concidering would consist of moving pre-existing plants about 30 feet from where they are growning naturally. I remember as a child I used to pick the leaves as food for my pet rabbits. And, having someone post the genus as a starting point, I was able to see (based on the diagnostic feature of the purple petioles) that mine are a native species Plantago rugelii, not even an import. (The one I dug up wilted quickly in the heat we are having now in Zone 7b South Carolina, though.)
And a great "crush and rub it on" remedy for nettle stings.
Suzy O, Wisconsin, zone 5
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