HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Please help me identify this common weed that grows in nearly every yard in Southern Colorado and probably many other states…









I can tell you that it is some sort of milkweed that grows about knee-high. Tank ate some and didn’t suffer any harmful effects, but I have a longer trial planned for it. Just never heard anyone call it by an actual name before.

wait til it flowers and then take a pic and it will be easier to identify. i cant find any milkweeds with leaves shaped like that...but there are over 140 varieties and i didnt look that hard lol

What colour does it flower? I think it might be a weed called l'lady's thumb', or Polygonum persicaria. The page I found the name on says it is related to the buckwheat family. It grows here, too, in southweat Ontario.

If it flowers, the blossoms are insignificant. I guess it must flower to get those little seed pods (tiny green balls on top of plant). It definitely isn't like the photo you posted.

Hmmmm no idea Jedi, Im sure I have seen them up here but I dont know what they are called...

It sort of looks like poison ivy but is a darker green. Which reminds me, Jedi Sena if you don't have this book I highly recommend it:

Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants

Of course you probably do already but if not I thought I'd mention it. I love that book and reference it often when trying to find out what's what around here in Massachusetts. You'd probably need a more western version tho.

I'll look thru my book and see if I can find it.

hc!
Christa

I always go to my local university extension office for stuff like that…Colorado State offers one… http://www.ext.colostate.edu/, not sure if it’s near you.

I will ask around some of my gardening forums and see what I can come up with!

The flower is always significant to identifying a plant species. Take it from a BS in Business Administration (because I took a whole year of Botany as an elective and spent spring mornings keying flowers for credit)!