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viola
New Member
France
27 Posts |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Jul 2013 : 7:44:39 PM
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| Still thinking Triffid....................... |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jul 2013 : 7:46:47 PM
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Years ago had a friend over in Herefordshire who wondered what the strange plant growing in couple of her fields was.... only to discover it was VERY, VERY rare & VERY, VERY deadly.... it was a protected species & she was unable to eradicate it... so she ended up with two fields she could not graze...
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Eeyore
Gold Member
1181 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 12:39:54 PM
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Any updates, the suspense is killing me  |
Heléna
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Pop
Platinum Member
England
3051 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 1:41:21 PM
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I posted them off, the Post Office said they should arrive today, but maybe tomorrow.
Mrs DJ is lead investigator, who kindly brought in her forensic team (collectively known at WIT - Weed Investigation Team) |
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Goldenmane
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4964 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 1:57:30 PM
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For all we know the post office are smoking them at the moment........ |
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Pasch
Platinum Member
2277 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 2:40:14 PM
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Goldenmane was just going to say that!
Was looking for the "stoned" emoticon but can't find any-maybe only this  applies to Pop's post office people... |
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Ziadomira
Platinum Member
England
1635 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 3:15:46 PM
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| Have you tried the botanical people at Kew. You could give them a ring and they will let you know whether to send them a sample |
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brack369
Gold Member
559 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 3:58:18 PM
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| I never thought I would find a thread about a plant, so entertaining . Eagerly awaiting the grand unveiling of the mystery plant/weed |
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Meggie-Lu
Platinum Member
England
1519 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 5:19:20 PM
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| Dry it out and smoke that bad boy! |
   Danger Mouse |
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Pop
Platinum Member
England
3051 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2013 : 8:22:10 PM
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"Dry it out and smoke that bad boy!" 
Now I don't what to appear a 'stuffed shirt', but I've never really bothered with it. I have tried it, and whilst I think the legal position of the substances - Alcohol and 'Weed - should be reversed, on account of it general affect on people; it's not something I do.
If it is at all smokable, I will donate it to the Horse missing on Loan thread, to celebrate those immortal words from Joanna Piana "Chill Out". I have to admit made me really
I wonder if it's arrived, and Mrs DJ has any news. I'm expecting a Press Release soon  |
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Mrs DJ
Gold Member
632 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 08:39:48 AM
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Here you go people - the lady came up trumps
"A package of slightly smelly and heat-stressed weeds just arrived in the post .
It's Red Bartsia (Odontites vernus), a common weed of arable fields, trampled grasslands and other habitats. The whole plant is often purplish, which the OP has noted. I have a really useful key to vegetative plants (i.e. non-flowering material) which is proving its worth.
It keyed out right next to yellow-rattle, which I thought from the photos it looked a little bit like, and botanically it's closely related to both yellow-rattles and the cow-wheat genus which we were discussing yesterday (all are in the Figwort family, which also includes speedwells). And Gloi gets a bonus point for the parasitic idea - it is hemi-parasitic on the roots of grasses .
The sample I received looks as though it hasn't flowered yet but it should do - it will have pink-purplish flowers on the branches. Maybe last year she pulled it all up before it flowered. The usual flowering period is is June to September so there's plenty of time yet (despite the vernal scientific name).
It's odd that it's appeared in the ungrazed side of her field rather than the well grazed bit - as an annual it needs some soil disturbance to germinate. My guess is that before she sectioned off the field it may have been heavily grazed or poached at some point, at least for long enough for the seeds to establish. Once established, they would presumably grow better where the grass is longer and they can obtain additional nutrients from the grass growth.
If the horses don't bother about it I wouldn't worry about it unless it's reducing the vigour of the grasses too much, in which case she could pull it up before it sets seed. But if the field is managed differently now it may well disappear anyway: being an annual it would have to grow again from seed next year and if the field isn't heavily grazed/poached it may not be able to establish, or not in such huge numbers.
Incidentally the 'smelly white daisy' mentioned on the other forum is probably Scented Mayweed (Matricaria recutita), which typically grows on disturbed ground such as gateways that get muddy in wet weather. As it appeared before the Red Bartsia, that's probably another indication that the field got a bit poached/trampled at some point. Not surprisingly, given the weather we've had over the last couple of years (except now ).
Hope that helps the OP Mrs DJ" |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
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Pop
Platinum Member
England
3051 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 09:50:26 AM
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Thank you so much Mrs DJ, and do please send mine (and everyone waiting I think) sincere thanks to 'our plant geek'
It does fit.
I sectioned that part off and used it for winter, because it's sheltered on 3 sides, flatter than much of the rest, and has the public footpath which gets used allot less in the winter. So maybe the winter grazing disturbed the ground and the summer rest gave them the chance to grow and take hold. The first year the grass was very long, and i pondered having it cut, but left it for them to eat down, which they did quite neatly. And also the preceding year, I had a 'guest horse' to stay; who was a bit of a stress head and churned it up a bit with charging about.
The fields around me are almost all crops. There is a small pony paddock very close, which is always close grazed and never poached, and that paddock had some, and is in line with mine where we sometimes have strong winds; so I think I know where it came from now.
I do have a quick question thou, if you don't mind.... and I feel such a weed/plant thicky here, but when will they seed? After they have flowered? I would like, back permitting, to pull up as many as I can, partly to reduce my problem next year, and partly because I just don't like the look of it.
And I am of course pushing my luck here but I wonder if she would know anything about Ragwort. I get about 3 plants a week, I get them while they are tiny, when I dig them up thou, they have got their roots around the flint and its impossible to get all the root out. I heard that sprinkling rock salt where I pulled them up will kill the remainder of the root. Does the Plant geek lady, or anyone, know if this is correct.
I'm sure people driving thru the countryside on a Sunday afternoon have absolutely no idea what hard work it is keeping Fields of grass looking nice, and with just grass .
I shall pull away at my Red Bartsia (Odontites vernus) Judiffids.
Oh yes, and, for those who have seemed curious, can you smoke it? |
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Pop
Platinum Member
England
3051 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 09:56:14 AM
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Wiki says:
Odontites vernus (red bartsia) is a wild flower from the broomrape family native to Europe and Asia and occurring as an alien in North America.[1] The red bartsia is a common plant in low-fertility soils, where it lives partially as a parasite on the roots of grasses.[2] The red bartsia has pinkish and red flowers from June to September. They prefer dry conditions and full sun light exposure and are pollinated by bees and wasps.[2] Over the last 70 years, the red bartsia has disappeared from many woodland locations in the English county of Dorset.[3]
Another web site says:
There are three sub species of Odontites vernus: ssp vernus, ssp serotinus and the rare ssp littoralis but they are tricky to distinguish. A member of the Orobanchacaea family, this is partially parasitic plant on grasses similar to Rhinanthus minor (Yellow Rattle).
And its very interesting that a map showing where the plant is normally found has absolutely none in the south east.
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Edited by - Pop on 19 Jul 2013 10:06:19 AM |
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Suelin
Platinum Member
England
2514 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 10:23:42 AM
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| A friend of mine paints any ragwort with proper creosote (if you can get it) kills the plant and the horses don't eat it because of the creosote. Win, win situation. I don't do this though, it would mildly worry me. Salt in the hole, a good dollop, will kill anything. |
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sab2
Platinum Member
8467 Posts |
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Pop
Platinum Member
England
3051 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 11:27:05 AM
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Thanks Suelin
Will it kill the grass around it? And if so, how long would it take to recover?
Thanks :) |
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AnnaMaisy25
Gold Member
England
794 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 11:32:21 AM
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Oh Pop... I hadn't read this thread, and I've just spent the last 22 minutes reading it all...
I haven't been so entertained reading about a mysterious little weed, well ever!
Now you know, and now I know too... As I have this in the bottom of Freya's field. She doesn't eat it and neither did Splash when she has the field, so now I know what it is and I will be pulling it up.
So thank you! xx |
 
Splash&Freya. |
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Suelin
Platinum Member
England
2514 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 4:20:11 PM
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| My chum paints it on with a brush. That way you minimise any contamination to the grass. He says it's made a world of difference to his land. If you've got plants set to flower or seed then I expect that if you cut the head off and painted the rest you would kill the thing easily. It's a bit less back breaking and not such hot work to do it like this rather than digging. Especially in this weather. The grass will eventually recover whatever you use I think. Marvellous plant grass, grows anywhere in any conditions and is so resilient. |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 5:13:44 PM
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Hurrah for the weed expert!!  |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 5:20:41 PM
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| LOL now all I can think about is Andy Pandy & Little Weed |
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Goldenmane
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4964 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 6:36:52 PM
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But wasn't it Bill and Ben and little weed in the middle....are we showing our age? It's all so wrong...or innocent
Anyway, off to pull anything in the field ending in ...wort, as my allotment friend says they are all nightmares. Funny how a ragwort root always seems to be around a stone. |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2013 : 7:28:27 PM
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| OMG Yes!!!!!!! OK the sun has got to me [:D Yep... showing our age lol |
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
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Topic |
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Anyone know what this is and how to deal with it?
