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 Post subject: Re: WEED ID chickweed?
PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:23 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2003 8:09 pm
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Location: Fort Worth,TEXAS
I grew up in Washington but it has been so long since I took local botany and taxonomy classes that I can no longer
remember the appearance of that weed. I was in Western Washington, not sure which side of the mountains you're on.
It is still in the Caryophyllaceae family, where you find pinks, dianthus, and carnations.

Here is a weed ID key from an Oregon State U site. If you can find some flowers that will help with the ID of your weed.

Common chickweed (Stellaria media) from a WSU site:

Image

Here is a list of plants in the family from Wikipedia - you can compare features to decide which it is, but keep in mind that
they will no doubt all respond to similar treatment. Some of these external sites offer chemical responses to weeds which are
not recommended by the Dirt Doctor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaria.

Are you wanting to kill it or eat it or do something else with it? Here is an interesting comment from Wikipedia:

Quote:
Uses
Some species, including Stellaria media, are used as leaf vegetables, often raw in salads.

Stellaria media is widespread in North America from the Brooks Range in Alaska to all points south within North America. There are
several closely related plants referred to as chickweed, but which lack the culinary and medicinal properties of plants in the genus Stellaria.
Plants in the genus Cerastium are very similar in appearance to Stellaria and are in the same family (Carophyllaceae). Stellaria media
can be easily distinguished from all other members of this family by examining the stems. Stellaria has fine hairs on only one side of the
stem in a single band. Other members of the family Carophyllaceae which resemble Stellaria have hairs uniformly covering the entire stem.
This is a favored food of finches and many other seed-eating birds.


This is certainly more information than you were asking for, but since I was reacquainting myself with the plant and the family
I thought I'd share. :)

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