May 31, 2012

Update on Mystery Plant

I still haven't determined the identity of this plant:
It has ugly white and green flowers now.  I've looked through my books and on line and can't find anything that looks quite like it.  It has five basal leaves with smooth edges. The stem is hairy and hollow.  It may be a type of plantain as Brenda suggested.

This isn't a real clear picture of the flowers, but maybe it's enough to help someone identify it.  It likes water.

I'll try posting this to other sites I belong to and see if anyone can solve this mystery.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are those just flower buds or is that as big as the flower gets? If it blossoms out and looks like Queen Anne's Lace or wild carrot it could be Hog's Weed, also called Hemlock or Water Hemlock and also I think wild parsley although I could be wrong about the last name.

Unfortunately, Angelica and Lovage, two very useful herbs also look very similar and you cannot tell them apart. It would take someone more skilled that I. I don't know where you live but do you have a useful extension agent that you could called?

Anonymous said...

Sorry, thought I had added in the original post that Hog's weed is a poisonous plant and can be very toxic. Its latin name starts with Herculeum and then something that starts with an "m".

At any rate this is just a warning that it is best not to touch it. There are stories about people making whistles and straws out of the stems and dying from it touch their lips.

There are also plants that resemble Hog's weed that are less toxic but still Not Good. On the other hand it could be the start of an elderberry bush, which also has hollow stems and likes moist ground. That or one of the herbs I mentioned before is what I am hoping for for you.

Sorry to be so bossy my first time posting here but I really, really don't want to see anyone hurt. Please do get some expert advice.

odiie said...

You're not being bossy, just concerned. No, it's not hemlock, cow parsnip or Queen Anne's Lace. Those are the actual flowers and the only leaves are the five at the base of the plant. I've found it in another place now also. I think I will email a pic to my county extension agent.
Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Swamp Saxifrage

-Tom Gervais

odiie said...

Tom-Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That's it! I don't think my extension agent evens knows as I haven't heard back from him yet.

I have some homemade soap with your name on it. Just click "view my profile" and email me your address.

Patrice Lewis said...

Hard to tell from the photos, but look up the plant False Hellbore:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veratrum_viride

or

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/white%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/veratrum%20tenuipetalum.htm

These plants are violently poisonous and even drinking water in which they're growing has been known to cause birth defects in sheep.

- Patrice Lewis
www.rural-revolution.com

odiie said...

Patrice-It ended up being swamp saxifrage. I looked it up and the pictures looked exactly like the plant I found. Another mystery solved!

May 31, 2012

Update on Mystery Plant

I still haven't determined the identity of this plant:
It has ugly white and green flowers now.  I've looked through my books and on line and can't find anything that looks quite like it.  It has five basal leaves with smooth edges. The stem is hairy and hollow.  It may be a type of plantain as Brenda suggested.

This isn't a real clear picture of the flowers, but maybe it's enough to help someone identify it.  It likes water.

I'll try posting this to other sites I belong to and see if anyone can solve this mystery.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are those just flower buds or is that as big as the flower gets? If it blossoms out and looks like Queen Anne's Lace or wild carrot it could be Hog's Weed, also called Hemlock or Water Hemlock and also I think wild parsley although I could be wrong about the last name.

Unfortunately, Angelica and Lovage, two very useful herbs also look very similar and you cannot tell them apart. It would take someone more skilled that I. I don't know where you live but do you have a useful extension agent that you could called?

Anonymous said...

Sorry, thought I had added in the original post that Hog's weed is a poisonous plant and can be very toxic. Its latin name starts with Herculeum and then something that starts with an "m".

At any rate this is just a warning that it is best not to touch it. There are stories about people making whistles and straws out of the stems and dying from it touch their lips.

There are also plants that resemble Hog's weed that are less toxic but still Not Good. On the other hand it could be the start of an elderberry bush, which also has hollow stems and likes moist ground. That or one of the herbs I mentioned before is what I am hoping for for you.

Sorry to be so bossy my first time posting here but I really, really don't want to see anyone hurt. Please do get some expert advice.

odiie said...

You're not being bossy, just concerned. No, it's not hemlock, cow parsnip or Queen Anne's Lace. Those are the actual flowers and the only leaves are the five at the base of the plant. I've found it in another place now also. I think I will email a pic to my county extension agent.
Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Swamp Saxifrage

-Tom Gervais

odiie said...

Tom-Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That's it! I don't think my extension agent evens knows as I haven't heard back from him yet.

I have some homemade soap with your name on it. Just click "view my profile" and email me your address.

Patrice Lewis said...

Hard to tell from the photos, but look up the plant False Hellbore:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veratrum_viride

or

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/white%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/veratrum%20tenuipetalum.htm

These plants are violently poisonous and even drinking water in which they're growing has been known to cause birth defects in sheep.

- Patrice Lewis
www.rural-revolution.com

odiie said...

Patrice-It ended up being swamp saxifrage. I looked it up and the pictures looked exactly like the plant I found. Another mystery solved!