Identifying my homestead plants

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While I was out shopping the farm today for poke sallet, I see these plants everywhere. Looks like umbrella.

What is it?
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This is also everywhere this year. I've seen it in years past, but it is prolific this year, in places its never been.
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Jim
 
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Patchouli said:
@phideaux The umbrella looking plant is Mayapple, pretty sure.. Let me see what I can find to post here for you. It grew in my flower beds back in the Mid-Atlantic states.
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I think later on it gets little green balls on it.
Not sure.

Is this what , as a kid , we called pawpaw apples?
Edible?

Jim
 
Mayapple aka Podophyllum peltatum, Sorry, in a rush... need to get to town.... will write more later... can be used as medicine two ways... has a beautiful white bloom that only lasts a day or two... here they are on my farm...

May Apple 01 (1).jpg
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@phideaux I'm pretty sure your yellow flowers are Packera glabella. There are two of these that are very closely related. Packera glabella & Packera anonyma. These are two of the most difficult weeds in the southeast to identify. Mainly because of the leaves... depending on where on the stalk - top, middle & groundlevel the leaves are completely different. Also, the leaves are different in different times of the year. I've seen as many as 4 completely different leaves on the same plant.
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They are also called Butterweed, Yellowtop, Groundsel and a dozen other names. Since they also go by butterweed I usually get their names confused with the early spring yellow buttercups.

These two plants are also toxic to livestock. I might add... they also help to sharpen lawnmower and bush hog blades if you run over them... kidding of course... 😁

These are all leaves of the same plant... P. anonyma 🤪

Packera anonyma ( 2) sm.jpg
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sm Packera anonyma ( 9).jpg
 
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I found this online as a "tall buttercup" Ranunculus acris L.; credit to John Cardina. This doesn't look like the foilage shown in @phideaux 's photo.
Don't most buttercups situate closer to the ground? I'm not arguing. Just trying to understand.
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the tall buttercup flower images I found are not positioned the same as phideaux's flowers. Whereas most buttercups are alone on a short stem, all on a long stem; the flowers in p's photos are grouped together (inflorescence).
Okay, so it's groundsel or butterweed. I didn't know buttercups were in the ranunculus genus. Buttercups=not to be confused with butterweed.
 
Here, the most common yellow flowers in early spring are the buttercups. The 2nd most common are the various wild mustards. Then there are the dreaded ButterWeeds! There are only a few plants I despise, the butterweeds are the first 2 only my list. A close third are the butterweeds 😁.

There is a guy I know... Pete Ramey, his book "Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You" is much sought after. His work shops on natural hoof care are usually sold out... He teaches all around the country...

Anyway... he and I swapped photos of butterweed for a year before we figured out what they were. He and I both spend most of our time in fields and pastures but it still took us that long because the leaves keep changing shape month by month.

Despite the inordinate amount of time I've spent on these two useless plants I still forget their names...
 
phideaux said:
While I was out shopping the farm today for poke sallet, I see these plants everywhere. Looks like umbrella.

What is it?View attachment 40325
View attachment 40328
This is also everywhere this year. I've seen it in years past, but it is prolific this year, in places its never been.
View attachment 40326
View attachment 40329
Jim
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The ones with the yellow flowers look like what we called Tansy. You have to pull those suckers before they go to seed. We would burn them on top of that.They will spread like wildfire and can kill cattle if that is what they are.

tansy-ragwort-in-hand-sshaw.jpg

Tansyragwort4.jpg
 
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Jim,
The first two are definatly Mayapples. I have a patch or two of them on my place. Just saw them up last week and found a couple blooms. I need to go back up and look at them again.

Peanut what are the Mayapple plants good for? What parts? When to harvest, I know they don't last too long?
 
phideaux said:
I think later on it gets little green balls on it.
Not sure.

Is this what , as a kid , we called pawpaw apples?
Edible?

Jim
Click to expand...

We called em maypops.I 5hink they are called Passion Flower.
 

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Bacpacker said:
Peanut what are the Mayapple plants good for? What parts? When to harvest, I know they don't last too long?
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Mayapple… Before using it as medicine one should first learn the warnings that go with it. When used improperly the results can be disastrous. It can be highly poisonous/toxic. One must use extreme care in exactly which parts of the plant are used.

The roots are used as medicine yet the roots have “nodes” on them. These “nodes” are extremely toxic and should never be used, always discard them along with all green parts of the plant.

Even the juice from the roots in between the nodes can cause allergic reactions to individuals who are sensitive to the plant. This plant isn’t for everyone.

All that said, when properly used it is a powerful medicine. For example, it is still in the US Pharmacopoeia to this very day for the treatment of various cancers. It is a powerful liver, gallbladder and kidney cleanser.

Another note of warning… This plant usually works best in combination with other plants. It can be used alone but rarely is. All in all… I recommend finding a good herbalist if you think this plant can help you.

There are a couple more uses in folk medicine, one came to me through my ancestors and I think it best to keep it that way.

Meerkat said:
We called em maypops.I 5hink they are called Passion Flower.
Click to expand...

Meerkat... We are talking about MayApples aka Podophyllum peltatum ... It is an entirely different plant than MayPops - Passiflora incarnata. They don't resemble each other nor are they similar medicinally speaking. They should never be confused. One can be dangerous the other is not.

Maypops, passion flower aka Passiflora incarnata is a medicine but it is a VINE. Jim's plant is not a vine. :)
 
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Peanut said:
Mayapple… Before using it as medicine one should first learn the warnings that go with it. When used improperly the results can be disastrous. It can be highly poisonous/toxic. One must use extreme care in exactly which parts of the plant are used.

The roots are used as medicine yet the roots have “nodes” on them. These “nodes” are extremely toxic and should never be used, always discard them along with all green parts of the plant.

Even the juice from the roots in between the nodes can cause allergic reactions to individuals who are sensitive to the plant. This plant isn’t for everyone.

All that said, when properly used it is a powerful medicine. For example, it is still in the US Pharmacopoeia to this very day for the treatment of various cancers. It is a powerful liver, gallbladder and kidney cleanser.

Another note of warning… This plant usually works best in combination with other plants. It can be used alone but rarely is. All in all… I recommend finding a good herbalist if you think this plant can help you.

There are a couple more uses in folk medicine, one came to me through my ancestors and I think it best to keep it that way.



Meerkat... We are talking about MayApples aka Podophyllum peltatum ... It is an entirely different plant than MayPops - Passiflora incarnata. They don't resemble each other nor are they similar medicinally speaking. They should never be confused. One can be dangerous the other is not.

Maypops, passion flower aka Passiflora incarnata is a medicine but it is a VINE. Jim's plant is not a vine. :)
Click to expand...

WHOOPS.
 
Cnsper said:
The ones with the yellow flowers look like what we called Tansy. You have to pull those suckers before they go to seed. We would burn them on top of that.They will spread like wildfire and can kill cattle if that is what they are.
Click to expand...

I believe your plant is Tanacetum vulgare, an invasive from russia and europe. Thankfully, according to the USDA, it has never been reported growing in the southeast, I've never seen it around here. It seems to like cooler weather, especially new england and the northwest. That said it seems like an interesting plant with medicinal uses for humans.

@Cnsper Take that back... It was used as tonic in european folk medicine BUT!!! It's been known to cause strong uterine contractions... Keep this plant away from pregnant ladies!
 
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While the dog and I were on the gun range this evening...I looked down because RED caught my eye.

When I hunted in Canada back in the 70s we found these everywhere and picked buckets full to eat them.

But I'm not sure these are the same , they are smaller.

But everywhere on my range.
Never seen them there before.
Viney like regular strawberries.
Berry is about size of a dime.
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Are these edible?

Jim
 
Indian strawberry aka Mock strawberry aka Duchesnea indica aka Potentilla indica...

http://www.eattheweeds.com/potentilla-indica-mistaken-identity-2/
Are the blooms yellow? Then it's Indian strawberry, not a real strawberry.

Are the blooms white? Then Its a real strawberry aka Fragaria ap.

The Indian strawberry is naturalized in N. america. It's from India and SE asia. They are bland, no real flavor but are harmless other than disappointing to those who find them thinking they found a wonderful patch of strawberries...

:cry:


Also, you mentioned the other day about poke sallet... It is hard to find this year as far as leaves for eating goes, The roots are in the same places they were last year, just have to remember where to look.

Poke T01 (1).jpg
 
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They are not as big as the ones in the wild in Canada. Those tasted like strawberries , but we're maybe the size of a nickel.
Looks like the bloom is white. I'll check.

Maybe I'll go down tomorrow and eat one if it won't kill me.

I could probably pick a gal.

Jim
 
Peanut said:
Indian strawberry aka Mock strawberry aka Duchesnea indica aka Potentilla indica...

http://www.eattheweeds.com/potentilla-indica-mistaken-identity-2/
Are the blooms yellow? Then it's Indian strawberry, not a real strawberry.

Are the blooms white? Then Its a real strawberry aka Fragaria ananassa.

The Indian strawberry is naturalized in N. america. It's from India and SE asia. They are bland, no real flavor but are harmless other than disappointing to those who find them thinking they found a wonderful patch of strawberries...

:cry:


Also, you mentioned the other day about poke sallet... It is hard to find this year as far as leaves for eating goes, The roots are in the same places they were last year, just have to remember where to look.

View attachment 40625
Click to expand...

It takes bushel of leaves to make a good mess.
Your right I can't find enough to even start picking..
And usually it's everywhere.

Jim
 
I just found out that I have Corn Salad growing wild on the farm.
I just need some info on it.
What's it look like like?
What can I do with it ?


Jim
 
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