Can anyone ID this plant

[Shutterbuginaz]

I live in southern AZ and these are cropping up all over my garden. I have been caring for the weeds, but have had no luck with IDs. I hate to waste them if my RT could eat them. Any help with any of them would be very much appreciated.

 

[Yvonne G]

prickly lettuce or sow thistle
don't know
maybe dock

 

[Shutterbuginaz]

Can they eat the prickly lettuce or thisle?

 

[Shutterbuginaz]

And thank you for your response!

 

[puffy137]

Looks like groundsel to me . Pretty sure torts will approve!

 

[Shutterbuginaz]

Puff 137 which one looks like groundsel? The third one really looks like a tort would like it, but I refuse to try until I get a thumbs up. Thanks for your help.

 

[puffy137]

The first one with the flower, but groundsel includes a few different types , I should try & let them have a bite, pretty sure no harm done.

 

[Shutterbuginaz]

Thank you so much.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes. Both prickly lettuce and sow thistle are edible.

Prickly lettuce:



Sow thistle:



groundsel is not edible:

http://oak.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/senvu.htm

 

[Shutterbuginaz]

Thanks Yvonne. I just looked up groundsel and saw it was toxic. I think I am going to have to buy some seed from tortoise supply and be sure if what I am feeding.

 

[puffy137]

I think american grounsel must be a very different from the stuff we have in Uk which is edible

 

[puffy137]

thebritishcheloniagroup. says that grounsel found in gardens is ok for torts to feed on, However Tortoisetable says alfafa is bad for them whereas other groups say its good, but alfalfa is apparently high in protein which is bad & could lead to problems , prymiding etc, so its back to the drawing board, & hi five to the growers of Romaine lettuce

 

[Shutterbuginaz]

Puff, thanks for all of your input. My goal is to feed him home grown fresh food. Weeds grow year-round here in Az. But I think I am too nervous to feed anything I didn't plant.

 

[puffy137]

Well living as I do in an arid desert , my chaps have survived all these years on kitchen veggie scraps & romaine lettuce, I think one of the worst things we can do is to overfeed them , cos they will stuff themselves till they burst or start to 'pyramid' . Its odd that the lovely weeds that thrive in other places just won't live for long here, although dandelions do poke up in the lawns now & then.