‘Tis the season for yard work: let the identification of spontaneous plants continue.

I don’t call plants that arrive in the yard, weeds. I call them “spontaneous plants,” since they grow here of their own decision. (Spontaneous plants is not a term I originated; you can see it defined and used here.)

Of course, returning to yard work, people expect a certain amount of “weeding” to be done. Therefore, I can’t just leave all the plants to grow where they will. I rake them over or pull them up and use them for mulch.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried to identify some of the plants I remove. One I’ve noticed around the yard this spring is the common groundsel. It’s apparently widespread; I haven’t heard the name previously.

A good place to find common groundsel is a place that humans have cleared. I’d argue it seems to grow best in well-drained, sunny spots. Its flowers are yellow, but don’t have obvious petals; they’re just tight buttons of color. When they go to seed, they become white and fluffy.

The common groundsel has black spots (I’d call them little arrows) on its bracts (which are the specialized leaves that bundle up around the flower). Its normal leaves are pinnatifid with pointed lobes, but not very showy. The stem and leaves can be quite red lower on the plant.

I’ll be sharing more finds from yard chores:)

Source:

Pojar, Jim and Andy MacKinnon. Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Vancouver:
  BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing, 1994.

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.