Catchweed Bedstraw II

 

Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I covered on June 2^nd, 2022, a bit incorrectly on October 6^th 2022 and briefly on March 11^th 2012.

 

 

This specimen is trying it's best to pretend it's something FTCC intentionally planted...sneaky!

Note how it's climbing up the wall, this is due to the tiny hairs it has.

A pretty young specimen photographed in March of this year.

 

 

Common Name: Catchweed Bedstraw

 

Other Common Names: Cleavers, Goosegrass, Stickyweed, Sticky Willy (Oh Myyy!), Robin-Run-The-Hedge and, Velcro Plant.

 

Botanical Family: Rubiaceae (The Coffee Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Galium aparine

 

Description & Habitat: Catchweed Bedstraw is a non-native annual plant that tends to germinate in the spring and may persist well into summer. It is best known for its ‘sticky’ foliage which is covered with tiny hooked hairs that allow it to cling to things. Catchweed Bedstraw is also known for its radial arrangement of leaves which are elliptical in shape and can appear in whorls that can include up to nine leaves. The flowers on this plant are small and white and have four petals and kind of resemble a very tiny dogwood flower. Typically you will find this plant growing in or near bigger hedges or shrubs, areas with somewhat disturbed soil, beside buildings and occasionally in garden beds. In the wilderness you might find it in sites with moist soil, in rich woodlands, along streams, lakes or in vacant lots or fields. Before we look at any other detail, let’s talk about that common name ‘Catchweed Bedstraw’. This name is one of the few you’ll find in horticulture that are absolutely straightforward about a plant. The ‘Catchweed’ part refers to the fact that this plant has tiny hooked hairs all over its foliage which allows it to catch on to things including and not limited to, your hair, your pet’s fur, other plants and most other things that come into contact with it. The other common names for this plant that include an adjective like ‘sticky’ refer to the same feature which exists so this plant can scramble over other plants to reach the light. However for this plant’s seeds it allows them to potentially be carried to other places by animals or on your clothing. The ‘Bedstraw’ part of the name refers to the original use for the plant, as it was used to stuff mattresses. This was very important because once dried the herbs would not flatten fully and their essential oils helped repel fleas. But the Latin name of this plant also is interesting as (Galium aparine) is unique. The name ‘Galium comes from Dioscorides name for the plant. It is derived from the Greek word for milk because at one point either the flowers or foliage were used to curdle milk in order to make cheese. The specific epithet ‘Aparine’ comes from Theophrastus, and it means clinging or seizing, and originates in a similar Greek word.

 

When & What to Harvest: With Catchweed bedstraw, all of the foliage and the seeds are useful. Ideally you want to harvest the foliage before the plant sets seed and if after just harvest the seeds.

 

Edible Related Plants: The most famous relative is the garden herb known as Sweet Woodruff (G. odoratum).

 

Similar Dangerous Species:  None are known.

 

Recipe:  

For those Coffee substitute fans out there, here is how you turn the seeds of this plant into Coffee.

1. Gather the fruits/seeds of this plant in June and July just as they turn visibly brown.

2. Roast the fruits/seeds in an over at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until they are dark and crispy which should take about an hour.

3. Pulverize these seeds in a blender, coffee grinder or on any hard surface.

4. Store the ground results in an airtight container and use as if it were coffee.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/galium-aparine/

 

 

Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://mountainroseherbs.com/cleavers-seeds?srsltid=AfmBOopmnfUJg1VMWeNb1Q-FKyhwV3Nrb5JqOg6tvmvcfkY1f9U9-KlD

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Spring Garden Plants:

Swiss Chard, Red

Tomato, Cherokee Purple

Tomato, Chocolate Cherry

Tomato, Midnight Snack

Tomato, Lemon Boy

Tomato, Sungold

Pepper, Shishito

Pepper, Ghost

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

Mustard, Mizuna

Chia

Ground Cherries, Perennial

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

 

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (3): Dill, Black Widow Spiders, Plaintain-Leaved Pussytoes.

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is April 12^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Cat's Ear Dandelion II

 Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I briefly covered on March 14^th 2019 and again briefly on February 23^rd, 2024

 

 

This Cat's Ear Dandelion thinks your landscape edging sucks!

Look at those lobes!

These young Cat's Ear Dandelions are the right size for transplant, just don't eat the red shroom.

This specimen was seen growing through a tiny crack at the Cumberland County School Bus Garage bay door. It's a perfect example of how nature cannot really be stopped.

This is a great example of Smooth Cat's Ear Dandelion (H. glabra)

 

 

Common Name: Cat’s Ear Dandelion

 

Other Common Names: Flatweed, Australian Cape Weed, California Dandelion, False Dandelion, Frogbit, Gosmore, Hairy Cat’s Ear, Rough Cat’s Ear and Spotted Cat’s Ear

 

Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Hypochaeris radicata

 

Description & Habitat: Cat’s Ear Dandelion is a non-native perennial plant that array’s its leaves in a basal rosette. The leaves of this plant have a lobed margin and are somewhat fuzzy and typically a glossy but rich green color. This plant has a lot of common names and the names tell you just one thing, that this plant is very well known. Cat’s Ear Dandelion is botanically known as (Hypochaeris radicata), and it is despite the name ‘False Dandelion’ in the Aster family meaning it is related to true Dandelions (Taraxacum sp.). That name also tells us other things ‘radicata’ means ‘rooted’ which is a reference to this plant’s at-times multiple taproots while ‘hypochaeris’ by some translations means ‘for the hogs’ as pics like to dig  and eat the roots. When we examine this plant on a physical level it has a lot of the same physical features. So, it has a taproot,  it also has milky latex sap, the leaves are of similar shape and it’s seeds heads from puff balls where the seeds can float away on little silky parachutes. The differences between this plant and true Dandelions are its lack of hollow stems in the flowers and that its leaves have coarse fuzz on them. Additionally Cat’s Ear Dandelions tend to grow closer to the ground and can form large rosettes but are very resilient against mowing. But that Rosette did not evolve because of lawn mowing it came about to suppress competing plants and as part of its drought resilience. These plants are drought resistant because of their ability to produce more than one taproot and their leaf shape and arrangement which funnels water from the morning dew or rain to the crown so the roots can suck it up.

 

 

When & What to Harvest: All parts of this plant can be consumed however the roots are typically used to make a tincture to deal with Liver and gallbladder issues while the leaves and flowers are often eaten raw or cooked. If you want less bitter flavored greens pick the leaves when young or cook the leaves and or flowers to destroy some of the bitterness.

 

Edible Related Plants: True Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Chicory (Chicorum intybus), Tall Lettuce (Lactuca canadensis), Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola) and, Carolina Desert Chicory (Pyrrhopappus carolinianus).

 

Similar Dangerous Species:  None are known.

 

Recipe:  

While I do lack a formal recipe for using this plant I do have a few suggestions based on how I use it for you. Cat’s Ear Dandelion can be used for all the same things as its more famous cousin however these plants can be bitter when eaten raw in a forage salad. The trick there is the get newer softer leaves if you intend to eat them raw and in a forage salad try to pair the greens with a bold or robust Italian dressing. For some the fuzz on the leaves is a deal breaker and that is understandable but there are two ways to neutralize that problem and a bunch of the bitterness that comes from using older hairier leaves. Cooking will essentially melt the stuff the fuzz is made up of and will destroy a noticeable amount of bitterness which means this plant is a pretty good potherb. This is a plant you might want to consider cultivating as it at the very least is an easy source of blossoms for use in making dandelion wine. But speaking of blossoms, unopened or barely opened blossoms with several inches of stalk can be steamed, sautéed and are a pretty good substitute for Asparagus.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hypochaeris-radicata/

 

 

Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:

I don’t know of any credible vendor selling seeds or plants.

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Fresh Foods: (Note- It is almost the end of the season for winter vegetables and soup kits)

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Turnips

Parsnips

Onions

Celery

Potatoes

Garlic Bulbs

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Spring Garden Plants:

Swiss Chard, Red

(More TBA!)

 

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Selaginella, Frosty Fern

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is March 15^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Plantain-Leaved Pussytoes (Wild Harvest Tour Special)

 

Wild Harvest Tour Special Edition

 

Just to let you all know, the next few blog posts will be covering things that were exclusively seen on the Wild Harvest Tour, these are plants found in the woods of North Carolina. Some of these plants are good, some are bad but they are things you need to know about. I hope you enjoy the focused content folks.

 

https://www.facebook.com/people/Sandhills-Wild-Harvest/61557940700225/?sk=photos

 

 

Sorry for the still image from the YouTube video, it seems I failed to take a picture of it during the tour.

 

 

Common Name: Plantain-Leaved Pussytoes

 

Other Common Names: Pussytoes, Plantain-Leaved Everlasting, Ladies Tobacco, Indian Tobacco, Mouseear.

 

Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Antennaria plantaginifolia

 

Description & Habitat:  Although the specimen identified for this post was found in a Mesic forest near a dirt road and that forest was a border between Scrub Oak, Sourwood and Loblolly Pines typically, this plant will be found in dry open woodlands, meadows and rocky places. It prefers dry, acidic sandy or rocky poor soils and likes dry woodlands with light dappled shade. This plant is best identified by its spoon shaped leaves which resemble Plantain (Plantago major). The leaves of this plant also bear light white fuzz on them as is seen in the photograph.

 

When & What to Harvest: The leaves are used for a number of ailments while there is no noted best time to harvest them given that this plant is herbaceous it might be best to harvest in the late spring into summer.

 

Poisonous Lookalikes: None known.

 

Related Edible Species: The Pussytoes family is noted to be hard to tell apart with the exception of Plantain-Leaved Pussytoes.

 

Recipe: I could not find a recipe for this one in the conventional sense, just some suggestions for how to use it medicinally. For instance boiling the foliage of this plant in milk is a supposed folk remedy for Diarrhea and Dysentery. A team made of the leaves supposedly helps with lung ailments, and the leaves supposedly can be poultice on bruises, sprains, boils and swellings to relieve discomfort and possibly accelerate healing.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/antennaria-plantaginifolia/

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Summer Vegetable Plants (NEW!)

Tomato – Sweet 100

Tomato – Lemon Boy

Tomato – Black Krim

Tomato – Paul Robeson

Tomato – Cherokee Purple

Tomato – Brandywine, Suddeth’s Strain

 

Pepper – Cayenne

Pepper – Habanero

Pepper – Ghost

 

Herbs (New!)

Bee Balm

 

Garden Plants

Lamb’s Ear

Yucca

 

Coming Soon:

American Aloe

Cutleaf Coneflower

Spineless Prickly Pear

 

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Striped Wintergreen

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is June 1^st at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.