# Is this a wild turnip?



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

This plant lies flat on ground. It's leaves taste similar to spinach and it's root smells like turnip. (Root has purple top.)










We found this in abundance in our garden and it is thriving in cold weather. We have never planted turnip in our garden! I would like to harvest it if it is edible. Does anyone know what it truly is?

This second plant is just pretty; however, we are finding it in abundance in our garden too. Any ideas what it might be?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I am no help on the turnip picture because I dont believe in them. 
They are not food, IMO. 

The second one looks like an Evening Primrose to me. Or maybe not. Dont quote me.
Hard to say from your shot.

Your pics are so ginoromous they dont even fit on the screen.
Is there a way you could resize them down some?

Okay, now the pics are showing fine and I wish I never started guessing because I dont know.  
Sorry.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thanks for trying anyway.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

The leaves don't look right for wild turnip. I have no idea about either of them, sorry. 

What region do you live in?


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Zone 7 Eastern USA


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## Nature_Lover (Feb 6, 2005)

That does look like evening primrose, there are several cultivars of Oenothera, without your state location we could only guess which one it is, if that's even what it is.

Here are my Missouri Evening Primrose from my glade.



















Here's a link to a page with links to several location-specific plant databases. Maybe you can find your plants there.
Please put your location in your profile, at least put your state, for more help.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I live in the Commonwealth of Virginia, zone 7.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I do think it is evening primrose, although I have never seen them get over 8" tall as yet.


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## Nature_Lover (Feb 6, 2005)

Could it be marestail, horseweed?
This stuff apparently comes up in the fall with only basal leaves, then next spring bolts with stems.
See if you recognize the photo of the mature plant from earlier this year...

Here and here are a few other sites which might help you identify the first plant.
It might help to narrow down the plant family if you cut open that root and compare it to those roots at the root vegetable id site.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

Looks like the rosette stage of some weed, possibly one of the many wild mustards. A lot of weeds overwinter in this stage.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thank you for the links. Yes the first plant does remind me of horseweed except that it never grows that tall. The "root" doesn't really look like any showing on that site as it is smaller and more elongated. 

I'm considering eating some as the taste does not give me reason to believe it is poisonous.


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## Nature_Lover (Feb 6, 2005)

You can't always taste poison.
ID first, then taste.
Wait until next year (when biennial plants will bolt) to get a positive identification. That root does look like a biennial storage root.
Let us know when you determine what it is.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

ok thank you nature lover


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

the leaves of the first kind of remind me of first year foxglove or digitalis which would be poison to eat but a lot of biannuals look like that first year.

the second is an evening primose. I have seen them anywhere from 6 feet tall to only inches tall depending on the kind. you can eat the flowers.

Wild turnip is in the brascia family....what you have looks nothing like the brascia family and I hope for your sake you did not eat too much of it since it really does look like digitalis---which can kill and damage your heart.

http://weeds.asn.au/weeds/txts/wild_turnip.htm


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I thought "Nightshade" was "digitalis" and this is nothing like nightshade. Then I looked "digitalis" up and it looks nothing like nightshade or the unidentified plant in this thread.

I looked at that site you provided Nickiel and the plant that site is showing looks like people in here have identified as "goldenrod", which I understand "is" eatable.

Identifying wild plants sure gets confusing.

David just told me the leaves taste more like spinach.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

no, night shade is in the tomato family...not related to digitalis at all. Digitalis is known by the common name of foxglove, a common garden plant but also grows wild. golden rod looks nothing like a brascia or the wild turnip. I have grown foxglove a lot and thats really what it looks like the first year...even the root. I also grow goldenrod in my garden. "wild turnup" looks like winter cress in leaves only with yellow flowers instead of white.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thanks Nickiel.

I called our Agriculural Agent today and she is coming out next Monday to walk over our acreage. She said what she cannot identify on the spot she will take samples of and get the lab to identify them. I am really looking forward to this! (I will post what I learn.)


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

I'm excited to find out what it is. I love identifying plants. As a forester from CA, I spent a lot of time elarning plants. I would often never bring lunches/dinenrs into the woods and just eat what I would find.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Nickiel many years ago when I was in my early 20's, I had an opportunity to attend a "wilderness trip" that were to "live off the land" eating wild plants as you did for your lunch/dinner. I was not situated at that time where I could go; but I have often wish I had. It must be great fun being able to eat out like you did.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

I still do a lot of forageing. Everytime I take a walk, infact. The forageing has been excellent this year for the most part.


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