Plant ID someone please

PMQ

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The first two are of the same type of plant. Which are edible for hermann's tortoises?
 

pfara

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First two looks related to thistle (if so, edible). Third is oxalis (don't feed). Fourth looks like ground ivy (if so, don't feed). Fifth is some kinda grass that has gone to seed which should be edible. Sixth not sure about.
 

Yvonne G

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Thistle, thistle (edible), oxalis (not edible), Creeping charlie (not edible), grass (edible), the last one I'm not sure about, but it MIGHT be deadly nightshade - toxic.
 

Len B

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The last one looks like a young plant that when it matures gets the purple berries, that makes birds poop purple when they eat them.I don't feed it to my tortoises. I can't remember what it's called.
 

Maro2Bear

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image.jpg I agree with Len on that last one, it might be whats called Chokeberry, just a very young plant. Same leaf type, and the berries are actually very good for humans, I'm not sure about torts. The chokeberry in our back garden are just about ready to pick.
 

pfara

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View attachment 93371 I agree with Len on that last one, it might be whats called Chokeberry, just a very young plant. Same leaf type, and the berries are actually very good for humans, I'm not sure about torts. The chokeberry in our back garden are just about ready to pick.

I've never heard it called chokeberry before. I've known it as pokeberry. Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe :p

Wait! Definitely not the same plant! Pokeberry is toxic and chokeberry is good. Man.. sometimes plants confuse the crap outta me.
 
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PMQ

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A couple more guys ;) thanks for your help!

The first two are of the same thing.

And the next three are the same thing.
 

turtlemanfla88

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I observed my tortoises will only graze on certain weeds at certain times of the year. In my opinion I think these animals can sense when to eat something and when not. I have seen wild gopher tortoises do the exact same thing in the wild. I have seen my animals graze on Oxalis /wood sorrell then ignore it other times. The same thing with elephant ears or Taros. We are not dealing with dumb animals because they would be extinct by now. I am not telling anyone to feed toxic plants. I have had yellowfoots eat my ferns and bromiliads and ignore them the rest of the year.
 

turtlemanfla88

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I have a list of all the weeds and other plants that wild Gopher tortoises eat I will post it if someone can help me about how to post.
 

Jabuticaba

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In case no one has identified #4, the one that looks like common mallow. It's Creeping Charlie. TOXIC!


May, Aussies, & Hermannis
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES
 

Abdulla6169

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I'd suggest using am iPad/iPhone app called Garden compass :D you send them a picture of a plant & they ID it! I can send those photos for you if you want?
 

gieseygirly

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OMG - the third is a no-no?! I thought it was just plain clover. This freaks me out! My russian and my leopard go nuts over this stuff growing in my backyard. I've never noticed them showing signs of illness.
 

pfara

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OMG - the third is a no-no?! I thought it was just plain clover. This freaks me out! My russian and my leopard go nuts over this stuff growing in my backyard. I've never noticed them showing signs of illness.

Yeah.. shamrock (heart shaped leaves) are called clover but are really oxalis aka wood sorrel. They're high in oxalates and is one of the "do not feeds". Again, best way to tell are the leaf shapes: round is safe clover and heart is bad oxalis.
 

Yvonne G

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I'll let you in on a little secret that might help you all in I.D.ing your plants. I go to GOOGLE and click on "Image." then I type in the description of the plant, for instance for the third picture, the oxalis, I would type in "clover-like leaves with yellow flowers." You get pages and pages of pictures. Scroll though them until you find the one that looks like your plant and click on it, then click on "visit page." This will tell you what it is. And if the article doesn't tell you if its edible or toxic, then go back to GOOGLE, but not 'image' this time and put in "Is Oxalis Toxic?" But a little hint...depending upon how you ask the question is how you get the answer. If you put in "Is oxalis edible" you get different answers.

I hate to send you away from researching on the forum, but, as in the instance of this thread, you sometimes will get the wrong opinion. It's better if you see your picture and I.D. your plant yourself so that you are sure you've received good info. For example, I said that I thought picture #6 was deadly nightshade, which is toxic. Someone else thought it was chokeberry and someone else though pokeberry. All these plants have the purple berries that deadly nightshade has, but not all of them are toxic. So it would be good if you took this particular weed to the nursery to have it I.D.'d.
 

johnsonnboswell

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Nightshade is the only plant that has leaves, flowers and fruit all at the same time. It's vine like, and the leaves look a bit like potato & tomato leaves. (There's a word for that shape with those indents) Purple berries, small yellow ochre flowers.
 

domalle

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Definitely pokeweed also spelled polkweed. Used to make salad down south called polk salad. Tastes like spinach. Famous old song called
Polk Salad Annie. Gator got your granny. Birds get drunk on the berries. The leaves are boiled before being used. IMO not safe to use with torts
but mine walk right by it and don't even give it a look.
Not nightshade. The word you're looking for is denticulate or dentate (toothed). Flower on the form I'm familiar with is purple and yellow.
 
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