Weeds or keepers? Upstate NY woodland plants id help please.

20 years ago

Clearing the woodland area (or the GM farm, however you want to look at it!;() Anyway, there are some plants I can't id, and want to know if I should leave them or pull them. Thanks for any and all help!

First, is this a cohosh? It kind of looks like the leaves I"ve seen on the web, but having never seen one in person I can't tell.

{{gwi:1056169}}

Next, whatever this is it seems to give garlic mustard and dandelions a run for their money - where this is they aren't! (UH - except for the one right next to it!!) But what is it?

{{gwi:1056170}}

Next - is this a sedum? I have it in some of the beds I inherited, I guess the birds planted it in the woods for me!

{{gwi:1056171}}

There are more - but I think 3 per post is enough!!Thanks again for any help!

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Comments (15)

dollladie
20 years ago
I'm new to this forum, but I've got that plant in the 2nd photo growing everywhere! I think it came in some cheap top soil last year. It's easy to pull, but comes right back. Doesn't seem to hurt anything ... yet.
waplummer
20 years ago
The first is not blue cohosh (Caulophyllum) and does not look like Actea not Cimicifuga, all of which are called cohosh.
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adirondackgardener
20 years ago
#3 looks like the Sedum that I found growing wild around my garden in the Adirondacks. Tamed it inside a rock garden now.

Wayne
ladyslppr
20 years ago
I think #2 looks like geranium maculatum - a native geranium that should have pink/purple flowers soon.

#3 looks like a sedum that I see in gardens Round here. I do not think it is native. it spreads to the woods because any small piece that gots tossed into the woods tends to grow in to a clump of plants.
shesheupstny
Original Author
20 years ago
Darn - I was hoping the first was a keeper - there's alot of it as well as the GM!! And it seems to control the GM a bit as well! I'll wait a bit on the second and see if it blooms, If so, I'll leave it be for now. And I'm going to leave the sedum as well, it's actually quite pretty and doesn't seem invasive.

Thanks so much for the help - more coming soon!
davidl_ny5
20 years ago
Not sure what no. 1 is, but no. 2 is definitely a weed, not geranium maculatum (a nice little plant just now going into pink flower). The geranium does not have leaves in whorls like the pictured weed. I'll look the weed up when I get a moment. I was pulling it up all week-end (and wasn't pulling my little geraniums).
shesheupstny
Original Author
20 years ago
Oh boy!! Well, at this point I'm concentrating mainly on getting the garlic mustard out and only pulling others when they're right in with the GM. Hopefully the 2nd isn't as prolific as the GM, or I'll be in another world of hurt next year! I'm still dealing with the remnants of Jerusalem artichoke as well! Yeesh!

OH BTW - could #1 maybe be an Actaea? I'm really hoping not to have to pull it - I've got a bit of it in there and it's actually kind of pretty in a group - I'm gonna keep an eye on it, and see if it blooms and what they look like.
davidl_ny5
20 years ago
That second one is only moderately proflific, although enough so to be annoying. Your plan to clean it up only incidentally is right.

The leaf of #1 looks a little like actaea to me, but I'm not that familiar with it, and I would defer to waplummer above, who thinks it is not.
peter_6
20 years ago
The second one looks like Motherwort (Mint family). See if it has a square stem, and produces pinkish flowers in June where the leaves join the stem. See if it matches any pictures on Hortiplex or whatever. If it is Motherwort, it's an invasive alien, so I would pull it. Regards, Peter.
shesheupstny
Original Author
20 years ago
Oh - oops - I missed the Actaea in waplummer's post! Oh well - guess I'm gonna be a busy little bee! Thanks much!! I have some more to post - one of which I've positively id'd as poison ivy - yippeee! I actually don't seem to react to it, but I'll be wearing some protective gear when I go at it just in case!
davidl_ny5
20 years ago
Well, I wouldn't pull the No. 1 until I was sure. Wait to see if it flowers and do a positive ID on it. It looks like an inoffensive sort of thing (not an obvious invasive thug), and I looked at some actaea pictures that seemed similar. Even if it's not that, it might be something you could just leave alone. Just go get the garlic mustard.
orsogna
20 years ago
#1 looks to be Osmorhiza, I would leave it.
#2 is Leonurus cardiaca, a weed but actually very pretty.
#3 is a Sedum.

You should post future pics at the "Name that plant" gallery, you would get answers much more quickly.

Have fun,
Dan
Iris GW
20 years ago
Per Dan's suggestion, here is a link to Osmorhiza longistylis (which apparently has a distinctive anise smell).

Here is a link that might be useful: Osmorhiza longistylis
shesheupstny
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks so much!! As to the Osmorhiza - I thought something smelled nice down there! The "path" runs through it and some of the leaves end up getting stepped on! Definately going to leave it!
adirondackgardener
20 years ago
Say, shesheupstny, is that plant #1 getting a flower spike with a white flower about the size and shape of a dandelion gone to seed?

I just found some of this in bloom down by the creek and the leaves look like yours.
{{gwi:1056172}}

White baneberry - Actaea pachypoda

Wayne

Weeds or keepers? Upstate NY woodland plants id help please.

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