# confirmation please ...



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I have been studying the wild vegetation on our place and would appreciate some confirmation. These first 2 pics are of the same plant. David believes them to be some type of nettle.



















These next two pics are what I believe are nettle. (As you can see, they are nothing alike.)



















These next two pics are similar. I think the first one is Curly Dock; but not sure of the other. (Notice the "red" veins in the 2nd picture, which are absent in the Curly Dock.)



















Any information would be appreciated.


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## SilverVista (Jan 12, 2005)

Our nettle looks very much like David's nettle. Sorry, the two middle pictures are bull thistle. Let them go long enough and they'll push up a bunch of purple thistle flowers. Nasty things, those spines can go right through gloves if you don't handle them gently when digging out. Best to eradicate asap.


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

The first two look like nettles, but if they aren't stinging you when you touch them then I don't know. But they look as though they are probably related to nettles.

Second two are thistles.

The last one is dock.

Not sure about the one before that - definitely not "normal" dock, but the leaves look as though it could be a cousin of some sort?


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

The nettle looking ones could be a kind of mint - the leaves can be very similar. - you might have to bruise a leaf and use your nose


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I appreciate the help with these. 

I will get rid of that thistle/bull nettle ASAP. It is the only one I've seen around here; but will watch for others on our 6 acres.

I will go out and bruise what David thinks is a nettle as it does "not" sting when touched.

The two "dock" pics seem to both be docks; but one is "rumex crispus" and other is "rumex obtusifolius". I have been somewhat confused because I have seen others on the forum identify the latter as Burdock. I'm letting those particular plants flower this year so as to get some pics for our files which will help me understand even better when I see them next year.

Thanks very much for helping.


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

The last picture (the dock) the leaves are smooth, and a pale green.

Burdock has a broader leaf, is very hairy, and is a darker, duller green. I will take photos of the two next to each other this afternoon (believe me I have PLENTY of both. Unfortunately I will probably have to put the pictures on my blog as I struggle to post them here?

But I will take some pictures of them side by side so you can compare them.

Will let you know when I have put the pictures up.

hoggie


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Hoggie, I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures. I have struggled with identifying these for months all the time impatiently waiting for flowers to help me understand the differences.


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

Here you are - blog post with pics of dock vs burdock. Hope it helps  If you want any other pics taken just ask - like I say, I have plenty of both varieties 

http://goatsandgardens.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/dock-vs-burdock/


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## katy (Feb 15, 2010)

Question, are both varieties edible ? Pretty sure it is the burdock that I've seen referenced as boil twice. Like you Hoggie, I have plenty of both variety.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

If the stems are square the first 2 pics may be Bee Balm.....a member of the mint family...comes into bloom starting in June so not too long for the distinctive flower heads to appear. bee


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Hoggie, thank you so much for the clarification. You did a great job on helping me actually "see" the differences between Dock and Burdock. David thinks we might have some Burdock around an old shack. We are waiting for it to flower to help us be sure and, if it is Burdock, we are hoping it seeds so we can bring some back to the garden.

David took off a leaf of the plant in the first picture above. He crushed it up in his hand, rolled it between both hands and smelled of it. It did "not" sting; nor did it smell minty. He said it just smelled like a smashed green leaf. So, we still have no idea what that is.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

> if it is Burdock, we are hoping it seeds so we can bring some back to the garden.


 Are you sure you want to do that? 

I feel like I'm constantly trying to get rid of it, it spreads like nobody's business, gets huge and having horses the burrs a frustrating pest 

I do use the roots to make dandelion and burdock cordial when I dig them up though...yum


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Katy, I know "Dock" (curly as well as broadleaf dock) is edible. Just parboil them and they are sweet. I know very little about eating "Burdock" and don't trust what I think I know at this time.

Bee I don't recall ever seeing a "square" stem. Would that possibly be what I call "flat"?

Tiempo, I am sure right now! ROFL

I usually keep pretty good control over what grows on our place; just never knew what it all was. I remember first few years we were here carrying a feed bag around cutting off flower/seed heads of thorny-type plants. Now I hardly ever see any. The "Bull Nettle" found this year in the garden is gone now as David dug it up (root and all), placed it in a feed sack to carry off to county dump.

Will you tell me how to make that "dandelion and burdock cordial"? It does sound yummy!


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Unfortunately because of the nasty virus that my computer has right now I can't google anything, but if you google dandelion and burdock recipes you should find something.

There are variations, but the one I like has dandelion roots and burdock roots, dehydrated and ground up, fresh ginger, star anise and sugar.


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

hmm - you are giving me ideas tiempo - I used to love dandelion and burdock - I've never made it though.

motdaugrnds - like tiempo, I would be very wary of encouraging it to grow as it is very invasive. Never let it set it's own seeds an you may be alright but if it seeds once, you will have it forever, and it takes over. As you can see, the plant forms a very dense, wide rosette which smothers everythign around it - they will multiply so that those rosettes overlap and then nothing else gets a look in LOL

Have fun

hoggie


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

David agrees that we do not want any Burdock self-seeding on its own. He said Burdock is a "bi-annial", which means after 2 years they will be gone unless we gather the seeds ourselves and store them for use whenever we want. Any information about this would be appreciated.


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

There used to be a saying "One year's seeding, seven year's weeding" and that holds true for a great many plants - especially the more invasive ones.

And some seeds will lay dormant in the ground for much longer - corn poppies for example I think can lay for 60 years, and then come up 

I don't know how long burdock lasts, but I wouldn't count on them being gone after 2 years


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

Biennial means that the plant takes two to produce seeds. So if you put the seed in the ground this year, it will grow form roots and leaves, go dormant over winter, and then in the second year produce seed heads.

Many of what we know as root veg are biennials.

It doesn't have any bearing on how long the seeds are viable for once the plant has thrown seeds.

hoggie


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thanks Hoggie, that is quite helpful as I'm discovering we have quite a few wild edibles that are bieannual.


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

Tiempo said:


> Unfortunately because of the nasty virus that my computer has right now I can't google anything, but if you google dandelion and burdock recipes you should find something.
> 
> There are variations, but the one I like has dandelion roots and burdock roots, dehydrated and ground up, fresh ginger, star anise and sugar.


I may have to try these recipes. Right now, I have enough burdock to make tanker truck load of your cordial. I do not recommend letting it go to seed.


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## Annie (May 10, 2002)

perhaps false nettle for the first one since it doesn't sting?


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Excuse my ignorance; but is a "cordial" a liquor?


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## Ray (Dec 5, 2002)

hi, I been eating this stuff all my life and I grew up calling all this stuff by family names instead of latin or what others call them. The first dock we call curly dock but there is another narrow leaf curly dock we call sour dock because it tastes kinda like sheep shower, the second one is what we called dock, yet it is kind of similar to yellow dock but not as wide of leaves. You can eat any of these bit go lite on the sour, & curly. 
Burr dock is a commercial product in china, they grow it in long pvc pipes filled with sand since you can't hardly dig it at two years. Then you par boil the roots scrub them with a rough pad to remove the skin without peeling, then slice and fry. A very nice side dish taste kind like parsnip but you get alot. But they aren't worth having around if you let them go to seed. 
The third one kind of looks like a horse nettle, or bulls nettle but I cant tell, some of the wild lettuce looks similar, but isn't. The wild lettuces have the stickers on the back ov the leaves but they really aren't stickers, they just look like they are. There are many different kinds of wild lettuce types. I mix all lettuce types, with pigweed, or purselane, and lambs quarter, red Malabar, poke, wild mustard called winter cress in some places, or tame. radish leaves really nice in any salad, and others to make salads, in any amount that there is. pour on a salad dresssing of your choice and wow. I try to pick early before the sun wilts the leaves, or don't pick at all till next day. 
Giant square stem from the river banks, along with stinging nettle, are a couple other of the finest, but lambs quarter and Polk are my top pick, better than anything anybody can buy in any store. Take the last 6 inches of the polk stem, pick the leaves off and separate for greens, then use all stems like asparagus, steam serve with butter, then salt and pepper at the table, and you will have something that rivals the best side dish on earth, and these dishes have the highest know vitamins, of any. Dock is highest in iron of any if you need iron. & you aren't gonna get fat on any of these just the best eating known to man, or WOman, enjoy, best wishes, ray


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Ray, I do hope I am understanding you correctly.

You say you are "eating" the "stems" of Poke Salet? That you are taking off the top 6 inches of the Poke plant, stripping off the leaves for greens and steaming those stems?


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