Plant & Weed ID Megathread

Harry Palmr

What's the name of the tiny blue/indigo flowers that tend to appear in the margins along grass, hedges etc in May, they grow as a surface spreading clump.

Harry Palmr

Harry Palmr wrote: »

What's the name of the tiny blue/indigo flowers that tend to appear in the margins along grass, hedges etc in May, they grow as a surface spreading clump.

Maybe Speedwell? Several common species. Cornsalad has tiny blue flowers too, as do Forget-me-nots.

Harry Palmr

Cheers, it's Speedwell. One of my favourite sights, probably associate it with warming weather (he said chilled in the breeze after picking one out just now to compare!)

highdef

Bush vetch (Vicia sepium) is another gorgeous little plant that appears in massive numbers in my part of north Kildare. Not sure if it's common throughout the country?

GinSoaked

highdef wrote: »

Bush vetch (Vicia sepium) is another gorgeous little plant that appears in massive numbers in my part of north Kildare. Not sure if it's common throughout the country?

Yep that and a couple of other vetches down on the South coast (Waterford)

looksee

Just occasionally you see a plantain (Ribwort Plantain) that has produced a rosette with a good number of tall, well sized 'flowers' and they look rather striking and almost architectural, I like to see them.

GinSoaked

looksee wrote: »

Just occasionally you see a plantain that has produced a rosette with a good number of tall, well sized 'flowers' and they look rather striking and almost architectural, I like to see them.

Just occasionally ROTFL, major weed here, you get them a lot in thin grass thats been compacted. However I do agree they can be architectural.

The purple form is grown as a garden plant http://www.perennials.com/plants/plantago-major-rubrifolia.html

Yes, Bush Vetch common everywhere. That roadside verge is gorgeous, that's how they should be all summer long.

looksee

GinSoaked wrote: »

Just occasionally ROTFL, major weed here, you get them a lot in thin grass thats been compacted. However I do agree they can be architectural.

The purple form is grown as a garden plant http://www.perennials.com/plants/plantago-major-rubrifolia.html

Yes I agree they are a major weed of lawns, but usually they tend to be a bit scrawny and an odd stem. I came across one just outside the normal mower range a couple of days ago and honestly if it were not a weed it would have been a sought-after feature plant. It was about 15/18" tall with magnificent heads and looked lovely. Then my daughter strimmed it before I had chance to plead for it

highdef

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes, Bush Vetch common everywhere. That roadside verge is gorgeous, that's how they should be all summer long.

I actually nicked that photo of the internet. Local roads around here are nothing but cow parsley.....kilometres of it on each side of the narrow roadways, over a metre tall. Must take a pic!

CelticRambler

looksee wrote: »

Just occasionally you see a plantain (Ribwort Plantain) that has produced a rosette with a good number of tall, well sized 'flowers' and they look rather striking and almost architectural, I like to see them.

Just "occasionally" :pac: As children, we used to call the flowers "soldiers" (think it was my mother's name for them) and we'd play a kind of conkers game, whacking them against each other until one lost the head!

GinSoaked

CelticRambler wrote: »

Just "occasionally" :pac: As children, we used to call the flowers "soldiers" (think it was my mother's name for them) and we'd play a kind of conkers game, whacking them against each other until one lost the head!

We'd do the same but we called them Hard Heads.

messin doorman

Hi folks. Is this a weed or not? I believe I sewed Penstemon seeds not far from here a year or two ago so I have the slightest doubt that it’s a weed (but it likely is)

highdef

Like quite like Willowherb to me.

magicbastarder

could be a willowherb?

MacDanger

messin doorman wrote: »

Hi folks. Is this a weed or not? I believe I sewed Penstemon seeds not far from here a year or two ago so I have the slightest doubt that it’s a weed (but it likely is)

Not sure of the name; it's a weed/wildflower with a pink flower afaik

GinSoaked

+1 On Willow Herb

fryup

Can anyone recommend a book that lists all weeds and rare plants found in the UK & Ireland?? not too detailed mind, just quick reference type

fryup

fryup wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a book that lists all weeds and rare plants found in the UK & Ireland?? not too detailed mind, just quick reference type

For comprehensive coverage like that, this is probably best.

https://www.easons.com/collins-wild-flower-guide-david-streeter-9780008156756

All species illustrated; as it has UK, there are a good few species not found in Ireland. Although the price isn't cheap, for the amount of use you will get out of it, it is likely to be one of the best bargains ever.

macraignil

fryup wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a book that lists all weeds and rare plants found in the UK & Ireland?? not too detailed mind, just quick reference type

This teagasc document might be some use. Someone put up a link to a related version on this forum a while back but this one has a few extra pages.

messin doorman

Since there’s some talk of wildflowers I thought I’d share this. “Wildflower seeds” sound like a great idea. But I sewed them and now find new weeds in my garden every year. If you are dying to have some lovely wildflower choose carefully and buy a reasonably controlled species like cornflower or love in a mist or penstemons

Don’t buy a “mix”!!!

magicbastarder

fryup wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a book that lists all weeds and rare plants found in the UK & Ireland?? not too detailed mind, just quick reference type

'wildflowers of Ireland' by Zoe Devlin. Nice and compact and easy to navigate.

looksee

magicbastarder wrote: »

'wildflowers of Ireland' by Zoe Devlin. Nice and compact and easy to navigate.

I have that, lovely little book and very easy to navigate - filtered by colour of flowers and number of petals and so on.

padair

Hi there,
Trying to identify a weed that looks like a tree that is growing across stones . Trying to figure out the best way to get rid of it

GinSoaked

Bad luck its Horses tail Equisetum arvense. A prehistoric beasty that is almost impossible to kill.

Clarabel

All the plant id apps are saying this is Japanese knotweed.

It's not
It a perennial plant. Apparently with long tall flower stems.

Anyone any ideas?

GinSoaked

Clarabel wrote: »

All the plant id apps are saying this is Japanese knotweed.

It's not
It a perennial plant. Apparently with long tall flower stems.

Anyone any ideas?

If it is its not the JK that you need to worry about.

New Home

Clarabel wrote: »

All the plant id apps are saying this is Japanese knotweed.

It's not
It a perennial plant. Apparently with long tall flower stems.

Anyone any ideas?

What colour are the flowers? What shape (approximately) are the individual flowers on the stems?

GinSoaked

Clarabel wrote: »

All the plant id apps are saying this is Japanese knotweed.

It's not
It a perennial plant. Apparently with long tall flower stems.

Anyone any ideas?

It looks like a Polygonum which is the same family but not actual JK.

As a guess its a form of Polygonum persicaria which is a perfectly good herbaceous perennial.

Edit> Try also Polygonum persicaria "Bistorta".

Clarabel

Clarabel wrote: »

All the plant id apps are saying this is Japanese knotweed.

It's not
It a perennial plant. Apparently with long tall flower stems.

Anyone any ideas?

This looks like Lesser Knotweed, Persicaria campanulata. Apparently still sold in nurseries, it is invasive in wetter western parts of Ireland. Difficult to remove, like all knotweeds, as it can regrow from fragments of root.

To be honest, Japanese Knotweed, while certainly invasive is nowhere near as much a monster as made out; we certainly have several much worse invasives, both aquatic and terrestrial in Ireland.

But if I had either of these two in my garden, I would be equally concerned, and would take the same action, stem pours of glyphosate until every bit is gone.