What plant is this?
March 25, 2019 2:12 PM Subscribe
We have a patch of this growing in our yard. It looks like it's not a weed, but I'm not sure what it is. Phone app for identifying plants have given mixed answers.
And, of course, when you crush it does it smell like mint?
posted by LizardBreath at 2:27 PM on March 25, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by LizardBreath at 2:27 PM on March 25, 2019 [3 favorites]
Was there ever any bird seed put out in that area of the yard?
posted by chromium at 2:27 PM on March 25, 2019
posted by chromium at 2:27 PM on March 25, 2019
Does it make flowers? It looks like a variety of Salvia or mint.
posted by cakebatter at 2:33 PM on March 25, 2019
posted by cakebatter at 2:33 PM on March 25, 2019
Response by poster: It is square stem! Just checked. I've sniffed and tasted it. It's not super strong but I guess could be minty, or spinach-y. I'm not the best at taste test. No flowers yet.
No birdseed. We just moved in last summer and discovered this while clearing out the weeds recently.
posted by monologish at 2:34 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
No birdseed. We just moved in last summer and discovered this while clearing out the weeds recently.
posted by monologish at 2:34 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
I was going to suggest mint as well. Very much looks like mint but also looks like nettle.
posted by loveandhappiness at 2:36 PM on March 25, 2019
posted by loveandhappiness at 2:36 PM on March 25, 2019
You may need flowers for positive ID. In the meantime, please do not ingest any more unidentified plants!
posted by agentofselection at 2:38 PM on March 25, 2019 [9 favorites]
posted by agentofselection at 2:38 PM on March 25, 2019 [9 favorites]
There are a whole lot of different mints, and they're not all strongly minty flavored. That doesn't look like any one I know specifically (which is limited to spearmint or peppermint) but it's probably something in that family.
posted by LizardBreath at 2:38 PM on March 25, 2019
posted by LizardBreath at 2:38 PM on March 25, 2019
If you rub the leaves between your fingers and sniff, what does it smell like? It strongly resembles lemon basil to me.
posted by adastra at 2:39 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by adastra at 2:39 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
The mint family of plants is a large one and it strikes me as mint-ish too- but without a flower I’d hesitate to be definite. Word of warning- the mint family is one of the worst to pull up- the roots in some species can form runners and make total removal of the plant a nightmare. So if you pull it up but it keeps coming back... that’s a point in the mint column too.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 2:42 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 2:42 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Does it smell like basil? 'Cause that's some type of basil.
These leaves are too lanceolate to be any mints, IMHO.
posted by humboldt32 at 3:19 PM on March 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
These leaves are too lanceolate to be any mints, IMHO.
posted by humboldt32 at 3:19 PM on March 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
My guess is a type of pachysandra. It is a commonly used ground cover.
posted by defreckled at 3:44 PM on March 25, 2019
posted by defreckled at 3:44 PM on March 25, 2019
It’s definitely not a pachysandra.
Between the square stem and the leaves it’s almost certainly a salvia. There are many species native to Texas but even the non native ones grow very well, it’s a common ornamental plant. We’ll be able to ID once it flowers.
And yes, please don’t eat any plant you haven’t positively identified first.
posted by lydhre at 4:14 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Between the square stem and the leaves it’s almost certainly a salvia. There are many species native to Texas but even the non native ones grow very well, it’s a common ornamental plant. We’ll be able to ID once it flowers.
And yes, please don’t eat any plant you haven’t positively identified first.
posted by lydhre at 4:14 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Bah. There is nary a plant on this planet that would be harmful if a tiny portion was crushed, smelled and tasted. There’s a difference between sampling a few milligrams for information and eating a whole serving!
Anyway: sure; it’s fine. Let it grow and watch it. It seems to be a hardy perennial (mint family) species well adapted to your region. It should take both light foot traffic and periodic mowing with no problem.
I say learn about it, love it, and embrace it. It’s almost surely better from an environmental perspective than whatever turf options your neighbors are using.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:46 PM on March 25, 2019 [6 favorites]
Anyway: sure; it’s fine. Let it grow and watch it. It seems to be a hardy perennial (mint family) species well adapted to your region. It should take both light foot traffic and periodic mowing with no problem.
I say learn about it, love it, and embrace it. It’s almost surely better from an environmental perspective than whatever turf options your neighbors are using.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:46 PM on March 25, 2019 [6 favorites]
Bah. There is nary a plant on this planet that would be harmful if a tiny portion was crushed, smelled and tasted. There’s a difference between sampling a few milligrams for information and eating a whole serving!
This is false, and a dangerous thing to put on the internet. Monkshood and Oleander, for instance, are toxic enough that eating a single leaf could kill you.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:10 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is false, and a dangerous thing to put on the internet. Monkshood and Oleander, for instance, are toxic enough that eating a single leaf could kill you.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:10 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Might be wild bluebells, phlox, or something of that order. It is well established and orderly. I would give it a season.
posted by Oyéah at 7:53 PM on March 25, 2019
posted by Oyéah at 7:53 PM on March 25, 2019
Looks an awful lot like catnip, which also smells a little bit minty.
posted by mochapickle at 10:20 PM on March 25, 2019
posted by mochapickle at 10:20 PM on March 25, 2019
To clarify: Standard ID tasting is to briefly chew a small amount, let it rest on the tongue and then spit it out. That’s the way you use taste to identify mushrooms, which tend to be far more dangerous than plants. Nothing is nominally ingested.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:01 AM on March 26, 2019
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:01 AM on March 26, 2019
one of the Bee Balms is another (minty) possibility
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:26 AM on March 26, 2019
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:26 AM on March 26, 2019
Phlox are in the Order Solanales.
Bluebells are in the Order Liliales.
Mint, Basil, catnip and others that look like this plant are in the Order Lamiales
posted by humboldt32 at 4:38 PM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Bluebells are in the Order Liliales.
Mint, Basil, catnip and others that look like this plant are in the Order Lamiales
posted by humboldt32 at 4:38 PM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by LizardBreath at 2:26 PM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]