Identification of a wild plant

August 22, 2013 12:12 PM

I am trying to identify a wild plant at the edge of my property. I live in Montreal. The plant is growing under the canopy of a large maple, and it is growing as a thick colony. The plant resembles honewort (AKA wild chervil – Cryptotaenia canadensis), but it does not have a taproot. Instead, it has rather thin, shallow, spreading roots that seem to give rise to new plants. Each plant consists of three or four smooth stems. At the top of each stem is a leaf divided into three leaflets. Cross-sectionally, the stems are triangular. The leaves and stems smell somewhat like parsley or celery when crushed. Although this colony has been on my property for many years, I have never noticed any flowers, which suggests that they are small and inconspicuous. The plants are presently 30 to 35 cm tall. Please see attached photos. Thanks for your help.
posted by kirsti to Science & Nature (9 answers total)

Your photo links seem to be missing.
posted by jquinby at 12:14 PM on August 22, 2013

Response by poster: Would any of these links work?
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7rnrb7w071i842g/geh-pV7xaL
https://www.dropbox.com/s/35sj9he41ixb9jg/Closeup.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0sk6eqj562k3bhf/Overall.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kxg9ti3fxk3alqc/Root.jpg
posted by kirsti at 12:26 PM on August 22, 2013

Best answer: I believe that is Goutweed. More.
posted by jquinby at 12:35 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

...and if it is Goutweed, it looks to be considered invasive and tough (read: nigh-impossible) to totally eradicate.
posted by jquinby at 12:39 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I have a very large patch of goutweed at the other end of my property, but the leaves are variegated (white and green). When crushed, they smell like celery/parsley (in fact, I use this plant in my cooking). I just compared it to the plant that I am trying to identify, and lo and behold, they are identical in every respect, except, of course, for the color of the leaves. Thanks for your help!
posted by kirsti at 12:52 PM on August 22, 2013

Great description of the plant- this should be a model for plant questions!
posted by oneirodynia at 2:23 PM on August 22, 2013 [2 favorites]

I was thinking your patch under the maple tree could be a vegetative propagation of your other patch, only not showing variegation because it wasn't getting enough sun to bleach out the variegated parts, but it doesn't seem to work that way:

Variegated leaves occur rarely in nature but are extremely common among indoor and outdoor ornamentals, where they have been saved as horticultural oddities. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rain forest, and this habitat is the source of a number of variegated house plants. The appearance of variegation in the tropical forest understory, if not simply by accident, has not been given a plausible explanation.
...
It is easy to dismiss variegation as an uninteresting series of mutant forms, rare in nature, but there are some plants living in full-sun habitats that possess variegated leaves. Examples are certain species of clover (Trifolium), possessing a V-shaped clear mark on each leaflet. Among tropical epiphytes are numerous species of bromeliads and certain orchids. Typically, variegated individuals can persist in nature via cloning, i.e., vegetative propagation by forming new plants from buds, as in bromeliads, orchids, aloes, and agaves, rather than via seeds, which would necessarily be a rare event.

And goutweed does not seem to be one of the exceptions to the general rule:

Once established, goutweed is difficult to eradicate. The smallest piece of rhizome left in the ground will quickly form a sturdy new plant. All-green goutweed may be more persistent and spread more rapidly than ornamental, variegated goutweed varieties, making the all-green type particularly difficult to control. However, all-green, wild type forms are known to reappear from seeds of variegated varieties.

But as per that last sentence, perhaps the patch under the maple could have arisen from your variegated patch by seed.
posted by jamjam at 4:44 PM on August 22, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for information on variegation. The variegated variety is, indeed, invasive, to say it mildly. It spreads like wildfire via rhizomes. The all-green variety is, as you say, probably from seeds of the variegated variety. Interestingly, it does not seem to spread as aggressively as the variegated variety. By the way, goutweed makes a good addition to lentil soup.
Best regards.
posted by kirsti at 7:59 PM on August 22, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for the compliment.
posted by kirsti at 7:59 PM on August 22, 2013