Hello!
Does anyone know what kind of weed this is? I’m in the north U.S. Plants are maybe 3 feet tall now, no seed heads yet.
The closest I could find was lambquarters. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
Boy that looks REALLY similar. These don’t have seed heads on them yet…that should help identify them too. My other googling has come up with wild spinach too…I think they’re all in the same family…and all unfortunately toxic to horses.
Thank you for looking!
I saved your photos and ran them through google lens then did an image search. I do that often when I come across a weed I worry about. It’s kind of hit and miss but often takes me down the right path to identify a plant. Your county ag extension agent might also be helpful. Good luck!
3 Likes
Google lens is a pretty amazing tool to ID just about ANYthing. I pointed it at some art I have in the house where I didnt’ know the illustrator. Over the years I’d tried googling every search term I could think of. Google lens found the artist in 10 seconds (and it’s not some well-known artist.).
But back to teh OP, yes, Lens is also good at ID-ing plants.
2 Likes
I think it is lambsquarters. You can actually eat it. It grows in my garden as a weed, so when I pick spinach or kale, I’ll pull a couple of small lambsquarters plants and throw their leaves in the mix, too. Same thing with the purslane.
1 Like
Do not eat until there is a positive ID!
2 Likes
I’m quite positive it is not lambs quarter. I have it everywhere, and I have eaten it, and I also consider identifying wild plants to be a hobby I am quite good at…but that does not look right. There are a number of plants (both wild and domesticated) in the goose foot family, but this leaf does not look like the common lambs quarter… too large and not the right shape:
Even if it was a goose foot, they aren’t always good eating once mature. Maybe try looking at other goose foot images - I know there is a maple-leaved goosefoot and a fig-leaved goosefoot…probably some others.
1 Like
Oh, really? I wouldn’t really freak out about that. I didn’t know that lambs quarters were toxic to horses. They are high in oxalates, which can be an issue for people with certain conditions…I think, for example, people who tend to get kidney stones? I think horses would have to eat an incredible amount of it to be affected…and as far as I can tell by the weeds growing around my paddocks, they don’t eat it at all.
1 Like
I have no idea if it would work for this particular plant, but there’s a nifty free app “Picture This”. It’ll try to get you to sign up for the pay version, but there’s a line under the big “Continue” button that let’s you use it for free. Snap a pic of your plant with the camera button in their program and get an answer. They’ve been right for me…so far!
There are a lot of good apps and weed id sites.
OP, I agree with S1969 that it is not lambsquarters, or at least what I know as lambsquarters. The leaves are way too big.
However, local/colloquial names for things may differ, which is an issue with plants, animals, diseases, etc.
The dose makes the poison. I do know that lambsquarters is not a plant that creates acute toxicity. What the “dose” is for horses, I don’t know.
I’m pretty sure Lambquarters and Goosefoot are different names for the same plant:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chenopodium-album/
Whatever you call it, it’s very opportunistic and fast-growing, and loves recently turned ground. Apparently it is edible, and doesn’t seem like a terrible danger to horses.
If you find your way to a lawn care forum, those guys are insanely good at IDing things, even grassy weeds.
Yes, common lambs quarter is a type of goosefoot.
It could be common lambs quarter, just growing in a different soil and possibly more nutrient rich than I ever see here in NY. Or, another type of similar species - another variety of goosefoot.
If it’s in a pasture - I’d mow that sucker down now before it goes to seed. They spread seed like crazy, and in disturbed areas - e.g. plowed fields, they can grow very quickly and take over. If it’s not a goosefoot, it still isn’t something you want in a pasture - so mow now.
1 Like
It is definitely not lambs quarters! If you live in the western part of the US get the book “Weeds of the West.”
1 Like
I emailed my county extension and this is what they emailed me back with.
I think you’re spot on for recognizing the pictured weed is from the goosefoot family. From the pictures, it appears to be common or netseed lambsquarter. Lambsquarter is fairly common in this area. Lambsquarter is not always toxic to livestock but can be if the plant accumulates toxic amounts of nitrate. Plants tend to accumulate nitrates when they are stressed, so we have certainly seen elevated nitrate levels in cereal forages and there have been reports of elevated nitrate levels in weeds like lambsquarter this year too. For more information on nitrate toxicity, read this guide: http://animalrange.montana.edu/documents/extension/nittoxmt.pdf. If you have further questions, please give me a call. I think there’s reason to be concerned of its potential to harm livestock.
So it’s a weird looking lambsquarter? I guess I’ll be mowing it!
3 Likes
My horses never eat lambsquarters. The plant is delicious in the spring when the plant is young and tender- cook briefly in butter with a shallot, salt and pepper. By summer it is too tough and strong tasting.
I’ve heard it called both, I tend to go with goosefoot myself for whatever reason… Does it smell super strong? Strongly of, um, plant, slightly acrid and slightly celery like at the same time? I find it both pleasant and unpleasant, I think because of how strong the smell is.
I’d mow it. A horse I used to own coliced mildly at her new owner’s place, and I saw they hadn’t been mowing and her paddock was eaten down with no grass but lots of this, and I suspect she had been eating it from boredom for scratch-factor. Vet agreed.
yes, lambsquarters. Edible for people and my sheep eat it up! (so much so that i rarely find it around)
I’l have to go out and smell it. lol. I am planning on bush hogging it today or tomorrow for good measure.
