T. dubius is in the Asteraceae family and is native to Europe. It can grow as both an annual or biennial. It can be found across much of the US except in some southern states.
Tragopogon dubius is more commonly known as Western salsify. It has become one of my favorite species after close examination of its fruiting head yesterday (see photos below). This plant milks when cut. Really, there is nothing dubious about this plant, but it is a fun play on words. T. dubius is in the Asteraceae family and is native to Europe. It can grow as both an annual or biennial. It can be found across much of the US except in some southern states.
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Common chickweed is another really cute plant. I love the very delicate deeply lobed flower petals. A helpful way to id this plant is that there are hairs on only one side of the stem in a long line (see photo). S. media is in the Caryophyllaceae family also known as the pink family, and includes carnations. S. media is an annual and is native to Europe.
There is something about this small unassuming plant that I just love. One great thing is that it is so easy to identify. Here in SLC, it is hard to confuse the small very round and crinkly leaves so low to the ground with anything else. I also love the delicate unassuming flowers.
M. neglecta is in the Malvaceae family which includes Hibiscus plants as well as cotton. M neglecta is native to Eurasia and usually grows as an annual for biennial, and occasionally can live for multiple years as a perennial. This little plant has a horrible name. Bur buttercup or even worse curveseed butterwort. R. testiculatus is teeny, and this makes it very difficult to even see its tiny yellow flower. Fun fact: it can poison livestock.
It is an annual in the Ranunculaceae family and is native to Europe. Commonly called Star of Bethlehem, O. umbellatum is currently in bloom here in SLC. It puts up its leaves early in the spring in big bunches. Sorry I have no photos of this. Anyway, it looks a lot like the Muscari, but Muscari leaves flop and twist more. In March, while walking to get coffee on the weekend (when I do most of my urban botanizing) I was telling JJ that I was unsure what species this was and he thought it was just more Muscari, which at the time was also not flowering. I trust JJ when it comes to plants, his mom owns a flower shop and he made the bouquets for my wedding, but this just didn't feel right to me. Well, 2 months later and I can prove JJ wrong. He is a great scientist, really knows his algae, but I am better at guessing urban plants.
O. umbellatum is a perennial in the Asparagaceae family that is native to north Africa and Europe. I think its flowers are so pretty. It is an escaped ornamental species throughout most of the US, just missing in a few western states. This post is on two species of Speedwell, Persian (Veronica persica) and Ivyleaf (Veronica hederifolia) that are common in SLC. Generally, the flowers of V. persica, is greater then V. hederifolia, although the leaves and plant of V. hederifolia are greater than V. perisca. I have to say that I love Veronicas. I think their delicate flowers so pretty. Last summer I did not have V. hederifolia in my yard and had V. arvensis instead. I have had V. persica both years. These plants are annuals and in the Scrophulariaceae family, known as the figwort family. V. hederifolia is more common in the eastern states, and V. persica is widespread throughout the US. Bulbous Bluegrass (Poa bulbosa) is a close relative everyone's favorite lawn species, Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis). Well, maybe not everyone's favorite, but a very popular and widespread turf grass species.
P. bulbosa can be found in most states, and is very common in my neighborhood here in SLC. This grass has a very distinct inflorescence. Inflorescence is a fancy name for a cluster of flowers for grasses. P. bulbosa flowers very quickly, so there is little need to be able to identify it from the leaves alone, and its inflorescence is so distinctive that once it flowers, it can be easily identified. As the inflorescence ages it opens up creating a wild look. P. bulbosa also has a bulbous section at the base of its stem giving it its name. P. bulbosa is in the family Poaceae, which is the grass family. It is a perennial monocot. Generally it grows in bunches. Spring is in full swing here in SLC and I find many of the weedy plants (Violas, Grape Hycanith, Dandelions) come in purples and yellows. Two colors that I think contrast very nicely.
Common Grape Hyacinth (Muscari botryoides) is an an ornamental plant that often escapes where it was originally planted and invades lawns (as you can see it is doing in my lawn). It is in the family Liliaceae. One thing that I noticed is that the plant (in my yard at least) puts up fresh leaves in the fall which overwinter and then flowers in the spring. The flowering stalks start low near the ground and grow upwards (see photo below). This post is about two species of Vinca, Vinca minor and Vinca major that are widely planted perennial groundcovers in SLC. Vincas are in the Apocynaceae family.
Many residents here call V. major 'myrtle'. I have generally found that V. major spreads all over and is hard to contain, while V. minor is more polite about staying in its place. The main difference between these two species is that V. major is bigger than V. minor, in both flower and leaf size (see photos below). I would like to start this post with a disclaimer. I am not entirely sure this is V. odorata, it could very well be another species. V. odorata is supposedly quite fragrant and all the flowers I have smelled in SLC are not. However, this is the one Viola species that is listed as a lawn weed in UT. The other possibility seems to be V. sororoia, which is also a common lawn weed that is not fragrant. However, V. sororoia is not listed as present in Utah according to the USDA. Then there are a lot of other Viola species, but none that are common lawn weeds that I can find at least. It also doesn't help that different species in Viola commonly hybridize with one another!
Violas are a common lawn weed. For most of the summer you will just see the leaves in your lawn, but in early spring they have sweet little purple to white flowers. V. odorata is a perennial and in the family Violaceae. The plants have 5 petals, can have above-ground runners, and have heart-shaped. Right now this plant is giving many lawns a beautiful purple splash of color. |
Meghan Avolio - EcologistI now live in Washington DC, but I started this blog in Salt Lake City. I am fascinated by the diversity species most of us consider weeds in cities. This BlogI will update this blog with plants I found in Washington DC. But if you do not live in DC, you will still recognize most of the plants discussed here. Posts from 2014/205 were plants I found in Salt Lake City.
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