SoCal weed ID?

[maybeshoe]

I've been waiting for them to flower but they just keep growing taller. Unlike dandelions, the leaves are wispy thin and wilt pretty fast after picking. Hoping it's a plantain herb but it grows from a single stem. Any idea?

Bonus Dumb Question: For those of you that use sowthistle to feed hatchlings, do try to remove the spikes?

 

[Yvonne G]

That's edible. It might be prickly lettuce (I get them mixed up, but it is edible)

 

[Tom]

I don't remove spikes from thistle, sow thistle, prickly lettuce, or any other spiky weed. I don't remove the tiny little spine or the glocchids from spineless opuntia pads either.

I can't remember the name of that one in the center of your picture, but its great tortoise food. I've been feeding it to hatchlings and adults of multiple species for decades.

 

[maybeshoe]

I don't remove spikes from thistle, sow thistle, prickly lettuce, or any other spiky weed. I don't remove the tiny little spine or the glocchids from spineless opuntia pads either.

I can't remember the name of that one in the center of your picture, but its great tortoise food. I've been feeding it to hatchlings and adults of multiple species for decades.

Really? Does yours have the red stem with spikes? It looks perfect and it grows in an empty lot with no gardeners and far from dog walkers. Spineless opuntia...What a misnomer! Glocchids are way crueler than spines. It seems silly to remove spikes/spines/etc considering who's eating it but I worry about their tongue.

 

[Tom]

Really? Does yours have the red stem with spikes? It looks perfect and it grows in an empty lot with no gardeners and far from dog walkers. Spineless opuntia...What a misnomer! Glocchids are way crueler than spines. It seems silly to remove spikes/spines/etc considering who's eating it but I worry about their tongue.

Yes. The stems go red as the plant matures. All my tortoises devour it like candy.

I worried about the spines and glocchids for years. Then I saw a video of a wild radiata in Madagascar eating the introduced non-native fully spined opuntia. The farmers over there encircle their fields with full spined opuntia to keep the local wild life out of their fields. The local wild radiata of all ages just walk up and eat it, spines and all.

I've seen video of our local DTs eating fully spined cactus to, but these are a native species eating a native species of cactus, so it carried less weight with me. I figured the DTs have evolved some mechanism for dealing with it, but I remained concerned about species not native to the areas where opuntia occurs.

Turns out I was worried for nothing. Been feeding all my tortoises the spines and glocchids for years now with no problems. I go through about 6 five gallon buckets of pads per week all summer long.

 

[RosemaryDW]

It's prickly lettuce, from the stalk and also from the height your are describing. It's very ugly when it flowers so don't feel compelled to wait to see it!



It is so wet this year, our prickly lettuce has huge, juicy leaves, relative to what we usually get. I have had to take a good look at ours to be sure.

Tom is right. Don't worry about the hairs.

 

[maybeshoe]

It's prickly lettuce, from the stalk and also from the height your are describing. It's very ugly when it flowers so don't feel compelled to wait to see it!

View attachment 202834

It is so wet this year, our prickly lettuce has huge, juicy leaves, relative to what we usually get. I have had to take a good look at ours to be sure.

Tom is right. Don't worry about the hairs.

But the leaves look so different. Theres a older patch and it also still has straight leaves. Variety?

 

[WithLisa]

But the leaves look so different. Theres a older patch and it also still has straight leaves. Variety?

Yes the shape of the leaves can vary, it's prickly lettuce for sure.

 

[maybeshoe]

Thank you! He's eating it which is great because he's kinda picky and only likes dandelions and lettuce.

 

[RosemaryDW]

But the leaves look so different. Theres a older patch and it also still has straight leaves. Variety?

When things dry out after all this rain, it will start to look like the picture. Right now it's all floppy and green!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Thank you! He's eating it which is great because he's kinda picky and only likes dandelions and lettuce.

It's in the same family as dandelions and lettuce so probably tastes familiar. It was a nice "transitional" plant when our tortoise was being weaned off grocery store foods; one of the first weeds she ate.