What weed?

**RangerXanatos** · 07-28-2008, 01:04 PM

If Rick got to do it why can't I?

There is a type of weed that I see everywhere but no one seems to know what it is. I've tried googling it but I come up with nothing. It has a hairy stem and it smells like carrots. It grows very high, I've seen it up to 8 feet atleast. If any of you know what it is, is it edible? Here are a couple of pitures of it...

Whole without the roots
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Close up
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Thanks
Daniel

**Sourdough** · 07-28-2008, 01:13 PM

Looks like a limb off a cheap fake Christmas tree.

**RangerXanatos** · 07-28-2008, 01:13 PM

My brother said the same exact thing. Lol

**RobertRogers** · 07-28-2008, 10:23 PM

Whereabouts did you find it? Country, State, Town?

**BraggSurvivor** · 07-29-2008, 01:34 AM

Originally Posted by hopeak

Looks like a limb off a cheap fake Christmas tree.

Now that there Hopeak is fricken funny! Best post yet!

**Rick** · 07-29-2008, 03:19 AM

Wild Carrot. That would be my PRELIMINARY guess. I'd like to see the root and the flower just to make certain. The hairy stem and odor of carrot is pretty distinctive. The early leaves resemble Poison Hemlock except Wild Carrot has a hairy stem. The roots of first year Wild Carrot can be used just like carrots.

Go over to the plant database, I posted some pictures on Wild Carrot there including the flowers.

**TrappinGal** · 07-29-2008, 08:12 AM

thats what i thought. we call it queen annes lace here. ive never seen it 8 ft tall though.

im not sure though because i went out and looked at ours and the plants arent near that bushy.

heres a link to a site where you can see some pics. theres one there of the foilage as well.

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/qal.html

**RangerXanatos** · 07-29-2008, 09:38 AM

It's here in the US. I've seen it all over the southeast, though this particular one pictured is from Elberton, Georgia. It grows just about everywhere and it doesn't have any flowers. It's not wild carrot / queen annes lace. While searchng though, everything comes up with that. I guess because I put carrot in for the smell.

Daniel

**TrappinGal** · 07-29-2008, 10:40 AM

i have no idea then.

**trax** · 07-29-2008, 12:08 PM

Same thinking here on the wild carrot/queen annes lace (that's what we call it here too) but I've never seen anything near that tall either. Funny, when I saw the title for the thread I seemed to remember asking that same question to a LEO who pulled me over on the highway when I was about 19. I may have repeated though, like Weed? What weed?

**Chris** · 07-29-2008, 01:36 PM

.... to me it looks like rosemary, not quite, but close, which can get tall, and does have a scent, though, not like carrots. It doesn't look like carrot to me, or parsnip.

They're all members of the parsley family, and they have compound form leaves. This plant definitely does not have compound leaves, not to my eyes. If you Google "Parsley family" you'll see a lot of sources with all the plants in the family, none of which look like that.

Consequently, for you cooks, this is why parsley and carrots go good together.

Here is a list of weeds from that family: http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com...s/Apiaceae.htm

**TrappinGal** · 07-29-2008, 03:11 PM

could it be wild asparagus?

heres a pic.

http://www.arkive.org/media/79712109...-asparagus.jpg

**Chris** · 07-29-2008, 05:03 PM

nope, definitely not that. Asparagus doesn't have a hairy stem, and while the leaves look slight from afar, they're actually like fern fronds, very complex.

**RangerXanatos** · 07-29-2008, 05:38 PM

I have two people in a class of mine that are avid gardners. One of them even worked at a nursery. I'll ask them tomorrow if they recognize it and let you know if they can tell what it is.

**Rick** · 07-29-2008, 06:21 PM

If you tell us that came off a fake Christmas tree I'm going to be upset!

**RangerXanatos** · 07-29-2008, 06:29 PM

If that's what it is then money doesn't grow on trees, but weeds in my yard.

**rightcoast** · 07-30-2008, 09:07 AM

That weed looks like Marestail to me. I'm not certain since it looks a little lush for marestail, but I'd say it is.

**Rick** · 07-30-2008, 09:11 AM

Welcome aboard, rightcoast. If you would, how about going over to the introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself. Your outdoor experience, what you like to do, etc. Things like that.