Name This Weed and Win . . .

mystery weed

. . . bragging rights. Extra points for telling us the scientific name.

I think it’s some kind of geranium and it’s been sprouting up in the backyard for years every winter. If allowed to grow it puts off small, uninteresting flowers.

I’m hoping it has rare pharmaceutical value. Then I could offer better prizes on Root Simple, like an all expenses paid trip to East Hollywood.

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31 Comments

    • Good guess but the leaves and flowers don’t match. I may be wrong about it being in the Geranium family–might actually be in the mallow family according to some comments in Facebook.

  1. Is it a Male or Female Weed ?,,If it is Male name it Woody,,If it is Female name it Melissa..I would love to win a trip to California…LOL..Just a little levity,,Sorry I could not help myself,,Old Guy

  2. Malva neglecta? I have it all over my yard and when the weather gets really cold at night it take on a reddish tint. I bet Christopher Nyerges could tell you if it is good for something. (seems like it is) Any I would love to win a trip to EAST Hollywood! LOL

    • Now I’m back to thinking it’s a kind of geranium. And Christopher Nyerges and Pascal Baudar are both working on it via Facebook. So far we’re all still stumped.

    • It does indeed look like common mallow, Malva neglecta at first glance, but it’s more delicate. It also has reddish stems and spots on the leafs.

      btw, people can eat common mallow too. I’ve made it into tacos–so don’t let those greedy horses eat it all! 😉

  3. Haven’t a clue, but did pull a few of those when I went out to the mail box today….will be curious to see if they have any redeeming value!

  4. Looks like Ground Ivy or Glechoma Hederacea…?
    If this is our plant, than it has many uses..
    Rich in Vitamin C, brewed as a tea.
    In place of animal rennet in cheese making.
    Or, as a flavoring preservative in brewing beer!

  5. Maybe Bicknell’s geranium? Gernanium bicknellii. It’s supposed to occur in the northern half of the US, but maybe it extends to LA on the western side. It looks a lot like what we have growing here, in Mendo County.

    • I think we have a winner. It’s readily pollinated by hymenoptera which might explain why there are so many varieties and why it’s been so difficult to identify. See the long list on the wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium_molle. Native to the Mediterranean and introduced to North America.

  6. It’s called henbit. It’s a perennial weed. The Scientific name is lamium amplexicaule. I live in Arkansas and it is everywhere and very hard to get rid of.

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