Plant ID Unable to located - Ask Extension
I tried to identify and the only ID I found was swallow wort, and I don't see a root system like this. I NEED to get rid of this and need to know what...
Knowledgebase
Plant ID Unable to located #879616
Asked July 31, 2024, 2:32 PM EDT
I tried to identify and the only ID I found was swallow wort, and I don't see a root system like this. I NEED to get rid of this and need to know what herbicide will work. I am digging down to hardpan in many instances. It has spread to my lawn. In my decades of gardening, I have never encountered anything like this. I can only submit one photo at this time due to the extreme weather and some health issues I am experiencing at this time. The plant has slender whitish carrot-like roots, not in all but most. While some extend and branch off a bit, it is not like rhizomes or continuous root systems like English Ivy.
Livingston County Michigan
Expert Response
It has been identified from my Facebook post as creeping bellflower - Campanula rapunculoides.
You're correct, these appear to be the basal leaves of creeping or roving bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides). Creeping bellflower is an introduced herbaceous perennial in Michigan and most of the U.S. It spreads both by seed and underground stems called rhizomes. If left undisturbed it will produce stalks 1-3 feet in height with bell-shaped purple-blue flowers in the late-spring to summer, sometimes in the fall.
For more information on this plant consider visiting the following sites:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/creeping-bellflower
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=359085&isprofile=0&
This plant is tolerant to many common lawn herbicides. The active ingredient triclopyr may be more effective than the others without harming the grass, but it is more likely to provide suppression rather than true control/eradication and may take multiple applications. One example of a product with triclopyr as is Weed B Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer. This would not be an appropriate product (or active ingredient) to use in garden beds.
Better results have been found with products that contain glyphosate, but this will also injure or kill your turfgrass. Depending on the level of infestation, multiple applications may be required with this as well.
When using products containing glyphosate there are a few important points to consider. First, as with any pesticide, remember to read and follow all labeled instructions. Second, glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide, meaning it will injure or kill other plants contacted during application, so care is needed to avoid green plant material, exposed roots, and injured bark of desired plants. Third, glyphosate is relatively safe in the environment when used as labeled. It adsorbs strongly to soil in most cases (i.e. clay and organic matter), allowing even sensitive crops to be planted shortly after application; meaning no carry over issues are expected. Fourth, glyphosate alone can take up to 14 days to show full activity under ideal growing conditions. Retreatment of the area may be needed depending on the degree of infestation. Glyphosate is most effective for perennial control in the fall but can be applied anytime the plants are actively growing (temperatures consistently above 50F). For woody species, periods of heavy sap flow in the spring may not be effective times to treat. Finally, glyphosate is getting harder to find in the consumer market (i.e., big box stores) and Roundup brand products have been changing their active ingredients (even though the labels look similar) and moving away from glyphosate. Roundup Super Concentrate as of the summer of 2024 still has glyphosate only as the active ingredient. There are also generic glyphosate products available at stores like Tractor Supply Company. Be sure that the product you choose has only the active ingredient glyphosate or glyphosate + pelargonic acid. Products with additional active ingredients may have other unwanted effects and may delay the planting of other plants in the coming season(s).
For more information on this plant consider visiting the following sites:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/creeping-bellflower
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=359085&isprofile=0&
This plant is tolerant to many common lawn herbicides. The active ingredient triclopyr may be more effective than the others without harming the grass, but it is more likely to provide suppression rather than true control/eradication and may take multiple applications. One example of a product with triclopyr as is Weed B Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer. This would not be an appropriate product (or active ingredient) to use in garden beds.
Better results have been found with products that contain glyphosate, but this will also injure or kill your turfgrass. Depending on the level of infestation, multiple applications may be required with this as well.
When using products containing glyphosate there are a few important points to consider. First, as with any pesticide, remember to read and follow all labeled instructions. Second, glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide, meaning it will injure or kill other plants contacted during application, so care is needed to avoid green plant material, exposed roots, and injured bark of desired plants. Third, glyphosate is relatively safe in the environment when used as labeled. It adsorbs strongly to soil in most cases (i.e. clay and organic matter), allowing even sensitive crops to be planted shortly after application; meaning no carry over issues are expected. Fourth, glyphosate alone can take up to 14 days to show full activity under ideal growing conditions. Retreatment of the area may be needed depending on the degree of infestation. Glyphosate is most effective for perennial control in the fall but can be applied anytime the plants are actively growing (temperatures consistently above 50F). For woody species, periods of heavy sap flow in the spring may not be effective times to treat. Finally, glyphosate is getting harder to find in the consumer market (i.e., big box stores) and Roundup brand products have been changing their active ingredients (even though the labels look similar) and moving away from glyphosate. Roundup Super Concentrate as of the summer of 2024 still has glyphosate only as the active ingredient. There are also generic glyphosate products available at stores like Tractor Supply Company. Be sure that the product you choose has only the active ingredient glyphosate or glyphosate + pelargonic acid. Products with additional active ingredients may have other unwanted effects and may delay the planting of other plants in the coming season(s).
