# New to SWFL can you help identify



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

The first 2 photo's are plants right along the river. They are very thick, dense, and seem to have a bulb type root. Honestly, I am to afraid to stick my hand in there and yank one out......snakes, iguana's.....yeah too much for me.

The second two photos it looks like a 'bush' but a tree at the same time??

What are they??


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

The last photo is "poison ______". The vine/ stem is red. It grows up the tree, and hangs down out of the tree (like 10 foot vines) it grows out of the ground in 1 long vine......I think it's poison oak?

I don't know what the green leafy plants are? I don't know what the top two plants are (2 photos of the same plant; one close one of the whole plant)


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

I'm pretty sure that the flower plant is a Hibiscus......

The purple and green plant I have no clue.......

Thank you all for your help


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

Top two photos look like Sanseveria (Mother-in-law's tongue) to me.

Top two in your second post looks like Dieffenbachia, and the bottom one may be Virginia Creeper?

Yes on the Hibiscus 

Beautiful plants, lucky you!


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

The last is in the norelgia family. The multicolored leafy ones are crotons!


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Laura Zone 10 said:


> The last photo is "poison ______". The vine/ stem is red. It grows up the tree, and hangs down out of the tree (like 10 foot vines) it grows out of the ground in 1 long vine......I think it's poison oak?
> 
> I don't know what the green leafy plants are? I don't know what the top two plants are (2 photos of the same plant; one close one of the whole plant)


The second plant down (round leaves) is seagrape. I visited Florida last year and loved them. They are everywhere!

The last one is definitely Virginia Creeper.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

It's not poison oak / sumac?
I was totally afraid to try to rip it out because I didn't want it to get on my hands!!


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Poison oak has 3 leaves, and sumac has stems with opposite
leaves all the way up.


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## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

Laura Zone 10 said:


> The first 2 photo's are plants right along the river. They are very thick, dense, and seem to have a bulb type root. Honestly, I am to afraid to stick my hand in there and yank one out......snakes, iguana's.....yeah too much for me.
> 
> The second two photos it looks like a 'bush' but a tree at the same time??
> 
> What are they??


top pic looks like a snake plant.

http://www.shutterstock.com/s/snake+plant/search.html


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

goodatit said:


> top pic looks like a snake plant.
> 
> http://www.shutterstock.com/s/snake+plant/search.html



TOTALLY
I need to figure out how to kill it.


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## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

try glyphosate


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

I am RIGHT NEXT to the river, and I don't want to dump poison all over the ground and kill the critters in the river...... forgive my ignorance, I don't know what glyphosate is?


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## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

"roundup". kills just about anything.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

It's right next to the river and I don't want to lay down some awful poison and it leak into the river and kill stuff there.....


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

Laura Zone 10 said:


> TOTALLY
> I need to figure out how to kill it.





Laura Zone 10 said:


> It's right next to the river and I don't want to lay down some awful poison and it leak into the river and kill stuff there.....


They have a shallow, loose root system. Should be quite easy to loosen the soil around it with a fork or shovel then just grab it near the ground and pull the entire plant and root straight up and out of the ground. If you're physically unable to do that with gloved hands then dig the whole root up with a shovel or hack it down at ground level then hack the root out of the ground with a shovel or hoe or pick axe.

If you're unable to do that yourself due to incapacity then get somebody else stronger than you to do it for you.

Why do you want to kill it? Is its growth or size interfering with other ornamentals in the vicinity or ....... ?


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Fennick said:


> They have a shallow, loose root system. Should be quite easy to loosen the soil around it with a fork or shovel then just grab it near the ground and pull the entire plant and root straight up and out of the ground. If you're physically unable to do that with gloved hands then dig the whole root up with a shovel or hack it down at ground level then hack the root out of the ground with a shovel or hoe or pick axe.
> 
> If you're unable to do that yourself due to incapacity then get somebody else stronger than you to do it for you.
> 
> Why do you want to kill it? Is its growth or size interfering with other ornamentals in the vicinity or ....... ?



I think they are ugly, and it's blocking the view of the river.
It also give snakes and other critters 'cover' and I walk the dogs out the back door and past this mass of plants.

I did discover yesterday that the root system IS very shallow, and started tearing it out. I want to open that area up, and possibly put a small cafe' table and chairs there, and plant some edibles that grow in shady areas!!

The last picture is how the rest of the property line on the river looks.....


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

Yes, seeing it like that I can understand why you'd want to take it out of there. Keep in mind after you've taken it out you'll need to reinforce the bank right away with something else (several other well placed plants or more stones and bricks). That clump is so close to the bank its roots are helping to keep the soil there together to prevent erosion, cave-ins and slippage of the bank into the river. Once that clump is removed one good strong rain could immediately wash away a lot of soil into the river. But with or without rain the soil will eventually become eroded into the river so plan ahead for that before you complete taking the entire clump out.


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