A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Mystery Plants? WHAT is this???

Saw this growing on the back side of the waterfall hill today. It is not something I planted there.

weed or flower???







There are lots more shorter flower stalks.

Moving this up - need an ID so I know if it's a keeper or not!

I couldn't find an exact match in my weed book, so I will go out and look at some Cedar Hill weeds and see if I find a match... BRB

It's a weed!

It reminds me of a catchfly (Silene). Are the bud sticky at all? I'm used to seeing them in whites and pinks. The stripes on the buds is very common for catchflys.

As for whether its a weed, that depends on if you like it, what some people call weeds others plant in their gardens.

Bill, would you happen to know which weed?

Shani - I agree - I actually kind of like it, but not where it's growing. I have the pink version of Silen and this doesn't resemble it at all really.

I did a google image search for catchfly, and you are right - the striped buds do resemble it, but I couldn't find any catchfly with bright yellow flowers? A search for yellow catchfly did not turn up with anything.

I'm sure glad you didn't listen to me!

Whatever it is, I have them growing in my yard as well, and I see them on the side of road, too.

Found it! It's a weed called Groundsel or senecio.

Awww Bill, even if I had gotten rid of it, it's not biggie.

Alan - it's so close yet I don't think it's quite right. The leaves on those all look serated and these leaves are long and smooth on the edges?

How did you come up with those names? I've searched "yellow weeds", "yellow flowers" yet nothing looks even close. Youre were the closest, yet again, the leaves aren't quite right.

It looks like something I call a weed that grows in my yard sometimes. The reason I don't like it is because each one of those little flowers puts out seeds and then you have lots and lots of these.

That's what I was afraid of, Sheri. I think I will go ahead and pull it out tomorrow.

aw so sorry for this sad ending of your "plant" query Lynne---but better to find out now I guess.

It's definitely in the Senecio family, possibly S. parryi, aka. Mountain Ragwort.

OK - I think you have hit it on the head, though it looks more like senecio quaylei - quayle's ragwort. I am going to look today to see if the flowers opened to look like that, and will report back.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=3305067



Thanks Alan for all your investigative work!

That was a long process to get the id but kinda fun to have a challenge like that every now and again. Keeps the mind from going rusty.

The leaves definitely look like S. quaylei.

Well tis a puzzlement! The leaves look like it, but the blooms do not!

...my weeds bloom later than yours

Google:
Smooth Hawksbeard Crepis capillaris or
Slender Hawkweed Hieracium gracile

You guys are so good and so helpful!!! Thanks!

I think Bill is closer - I found a Wooly Hawkweed picture that looks more like it. Now to go out and check the underside of the leaves to see if they are white and wooly.

could 2 plants have cross polinated???