Plant-ID filter for the wife
September 24, 2011 5:25 PM   Subscribe

My wife received a plant in May, from our son's Kindergarten class. It grew and was nice....but then it died. Another plant grew in the same pot. My wife would like to know if it is a weed or another plant. If it is a weed, she would like to stop watering it. :) - Thanks for your help Hive-Mind!
posted by AltReality to Home & Garden (9 answers total)
 
Best answer: My theory is that if it's not the plant originally in the pot, then it's a weed.
posted by sbutler at 5:35 PM on September 24, 2011


Best answer: A weed is just any plant that grows someplace you don't want it to. There are no specific weed species and non-weed species of plants. Does your wife want this plant to grow in that pot?
posted by decathecting at 5:38 PM on September 24, 2011 [4 favorites]


Best answer: Well, weeds are whatever you say they are. But, the ontology of that aside, that plant is one that is commonly called a weed.
posted by OmieWise at 5:41 PM on September 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Looks like a light-starved dandelion. Or something of that nature. But even dandelions can be appreciated in the right circumstances.
posted by Ys at 6:07 PM on September 24, 2011 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I agree with Ys, it looks like a dandelion. My son tells me one can buy dandelion greens in the market these days. Dandelions are easy to grow and actually pretty plants. Give it some sun and let it live, I'd say. Why not?
posted by Anitanola at 6:16 PM on September 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I recognize that as a weed, though I can't tell you genus and species. I can tell you, though, that it's not going to get any better looking than that.
posted by bricoleur at 6:48 PM on September 24, 2011


Response by poster: lol Awesome folks...thanks for the quick responses! :)
posted by AltReality at 6:50 PM on September 24, 2011


Just to add: "weed" is a functional definition, not an ontological one. Dandelions in my lawn are weeds, in your wife's pot, they may not be--it's up to her/you.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:52 PM on September 24, 2011


I'd pick up a little plant at the grocery store - one of the $1 ones - and put it in the pot. For a buck, it'd be much prettier than this sad dandelion and your kindergartner can help plant and care for the new one.

That little tiny pot isn't going to work for very long with a healthy plant, though - might have to start with a slightly bigger pot and let your son decorate it, then put a new plant in it.

Very cute pot, BTW.
posted by aryma at 10:04 PM on September 24, 2011


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