Identify weeds, are they eadible?

TisMary

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As an update to my previous message I kept reading and I think I found the one weed I have the most is know as tropical chickweed (Drymaria cordata) and seems to be even safe for human consumption... but have not found anything regarding feedable to sulcatas or tortoises though chickweed in general is good to feed... I am leaving a link to a good reference to the tropical chickweed in case anybody knows if it can be fed to sulcatas:

https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/tropical-chickweed

I am attaching again the picture for reference.

Thanks in advance...
Hi again @alejzp! To get verification of plants I'm having trouble identifying for sure, I would ordinarily, turn to local wildflower organizations, native plant societies, botanical gardens, master gardeners - you get the idea. They will be more familiar with the plants in CR. To help you more, armchair botanists (such as myself!) need lots more specifics about the plant's characteristics, pictures from lots of angles, full out nerdy stuff! ? The specialists in your area would look at your pics and say "oh yeah- that's a such-and-such".

I did some poking around to find such a group for you and found a couple of things that may help. On this page is a list of books on local flora. Also, I found this App Will Automatically Identify Native Plants of Costa Rica. I can't make any representations about these things, but they may get you started.

Once that identification is made, we can help better from the "can my tort eat this?" perspective. Thank you for caring about your tort so much - this is a lot of work, I know. Keep at it.
 

alejzp

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San José, Costa Rica
Hi again @alejzp! To get verification of plants I'm having trouble identifying for sure, I would ordinarily, turn to local wildflower organizations, native plant societies, botanical gardens, master gardeners - you get the idea. They will be more familiar with the plants in CR. To help you more, armchair botanists (such as myself!) need lots more specifics about the plant's characteristics, pictures from lots of angles, full out nerdy stuff! ? The specialists in your area would look at your pics and say "oh yeah- that's a such-and-such".

I did some poking around to find such a group for you and found a couple of things that may help. On this page is a list of books on local flora. Also, I found this App Will Automatically Identify Native Plants of Costa Rica. I can't make any representations about these things, but they may get you started.

Once that identification is made, we can help better from the "can my tort eat this?" perspective. Thank you for caring about your tort so much - this is a lot of work, I know. Keep at it.
Hello @TisMary, thanks again, loved the app, I just used it and my searches were right in all of them, the most compatibility are the ones I posted for example the bitter lettuce under Lactuca virosa, tropical chickweed (Drymaria cordata) so now I am almost possitive my guesses were right using this app... So now the next question will be if the sulcata can eat them both because I have a lot of it in my yard...

Thanks for your kind help...
 

RosemaryDW

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I don’t know that that is bitter lettuce; it would have to grow a bit larger to know. But I can tell it’s a chicory from the leaf shape, same family as dandelion, cats ear, sow thistle, etc. Fine to eat although some dubious sites say the older plants get the leaves may grow toxic. I don’t know that is anywhere near the truth but as my Rusian stops eating it as it grows larger I don’t have to worry about it. If yours aren’t old (three feet high and spouting seeds) I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
 

alejzp

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Thank you
I don’t know that that is bitter lettuce; it would have to grow a bit larger to know. But I can tell it’s a chicory from the leaf shape, same family as dandelion, cats ear, sow thistle, etc. Fine to eat although some dubious sites say the older plants get the leaves may grow toxic. I don’t know that is anywhere near the truth but as my Rusian stops eating it as it grows larger I don’t have to worry about it. If yours aren’t old (three feet high and spouting seeds) I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
Thank you very much, right now they are big, I will take a picture tomorrow in the daylight to show you...
 

alejzp

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San José, Costa Rica
I don’t know that that is bitter lettuce; it would have to grow a bit larger to know. But I can tell it’s a chicory from the leaf shape, same family as dandelion, cats ear, sow thistle, etc. Fine to eat although some dubious sites say the older plants get the leaves may grow toxic. I don’t know that is anywhere near the truth but as my Rusian stops eating it as it grows larger I don’t have to worry about it. If yours aren’t old (three feet high and spouting seeds) I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
Hello @RosemaryDW , I have some new pictures of the so-called "bitter lettuce" according to the app that recognizes plants. The following 3 pics are from the same plant that has grow a lot:

IMG_5583.jpegIMG_5584.jpegIMG_5586.JPG

Then the app also recognized this one as Lactuca virosa or bitter lettuce with a 70% of possibility:
IMG_5587.JPG

Then the app and Google think this following one is Pickly lettuce or Lactuca serriola, but with some doubt because it also thinks it could be bitter lettuce, but I think it looks a little different in its shape and color:
IMG_5588.JPG

And finally found this other one that the app for plants believes it is False tobacco (Elephantopus mollis) and Google says it is Bristly oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides), which has shinier leaves and have like little hairs:
IMG_5589.JPG

Now my biggest doubt is if any of this can be eaten by my sulcata, for example found that the cat's ear she didn't like it, didn't even try it...

Thanks if you know anything about them, or anybody else here in this forum and can give me a hint if they are eatible... I have searched for those on different lists I have found and have not found them as toxic or bad for them... and if I have a lot of it, it will be great if my sulcata could eat them, because the weeds I have found that she likes she eats them like crazy and first to any other food she has on her terrarium...
 

RosemaryDW

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That first plant is indeed prickly lettuce; feed away.

The purplish looking once could also be prickly lettuce; it’s not uncommon for plants in the chicory family, which this is, to have a little purple in them at some point. At any rate I can see it’s going to be something in the chicory family so it’s safe.

Tortoises are picky; my Russian isn’t a big fan of cats ear but I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she changed her mind about it. If something is safe I try to offer it once or twice a year and very often she surprises me. Not long ago she started eating a plant she’d refused for years. It’s not her favorite but she’ll eat it and variety is always good.

I’m not familiar with false tobacco. I know wild tobacco but don’t know if it’s the same. If it’s bristly ox-tongue it will still to your shirt, no question. Although it doesn’t look like some of the more common chicories it is one, and safe.

With the exception of bristly ox-tongue, a good way to know that a plant is a chicory is that it will grow some triangular/arrow-y looking leaves at some point in its life. Usually it’s not right away but at some point you’ll see some, usually at the bottom of the plant. You don’t have all the plants in this picture but you should get the point about the arrow looking bits. They’re pretty obvious in younger prickly lettuce, although as that plant grows older some of the leaves will get a little rounder.

4BB3C738-1EA7-432D-A6D5-FD470B9D1ABB.jpeg


Since they all look the same to new owners that’s what is best to start with, at least until they start to put out flowers. When that happens you can see that all chicories have petals with distinct notched leaves like the one below. That’s a kind of dandelion that doesn’t grow around you but it’s got a good shot of the petals. Even the chicories that grow flowers in colors other than yellow or shapes that aren’t flat will have these notched petals. Hope this helps!

BD415933-3234-41B8-9FA5-338BBF10D934.jpeg
 

alejzp

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Location (City and/or State)
San José, Costa Rica
That first plant is indeed prickly lettuce; feed away.

The purplish looking once could also be prickly lettuce; it’s not uncommon for plants in the chicory family, which this is, to have a little purple in them at some point. At any rate I can see it’s going to be something in the chicory family so it’s safe.

Tortoises are picky; my Russian isn’t a big fan of cats ear but I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she changed her mind about it. If something is safe I try to offer it once or twice a year and very often she surprises me. Not long ago she started eating a plant she’d refused for years. It’s not her favorite but she’ll eat it and variety is always good.

I’m not familiar with false tobacco. I know wild tobacco but don’t know if it’s the same. If it’s bristly ox-tongue it will still to your shirt, no question. Although it doesn’t look like some of the more common chicories it is one, and safe.

With the exception of bristly ox-tongue, a good way to know that a plant is a chicory is that it will grow some triangular/arrow-y looking leaves at some point in its life. Usually it’s not right away but at some point you’ll see some, usually at the bottom of the plant. You don’t have all the plants in this picture but you should get the point about the arrow looking bits. They’re pretty obvious in younger prickly lettuce, although as that plant grows older some of the leaves will get a little rounder.

View attachment 332241


Since they all look the same to new owners that’s what is best to start with, at least until they start to put out flowers. When that happens you can see that all chicories have petals with distinct notched leaves like the one below. That’s a kind of dandelion that doesn’t grow around you but it’s got a good shot of the petals. Even the chicories that grow flowers in colors other than yellow or shapes that aren’t flat will have these notched petals. Hope this helps!

View attachment 332242
Thank you very much for this thorough explanation @RosemaryDW ... I just have a doubt from your message you told me that it is pickly lettuce form my first pictures but it was actually identified by my app as bitter lettuce, and the second one with the purplish leaves was the pickly lettuce according to my app, now in both cases you say they are safe to eat, which for me it is great because I have a lot of that growing in my yard, however, the other day when I wrote to you I found another website where it says that all wild lettuces including bitter, pickly, etc. are not safe to feed, I'll show you the link to the website for you to see it and please let me know what you think, this is in regards to the Lactuca virosa or bitter lettuce, same with the pickly lettuce or Lactusa serriola.



AS you can see in this two links it says that both are not good to feed, but as you said they are chicorries and look good to feed, so I will like to know your opinion on these two links if not to much to ask...

Thanks in advance...
 

RosemaryDW

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Prickly and bitter lettuce are not far apart, just different kinds of wild lettuce. I find that both can look quite different depending on how much water they get; it’s not at all surprising to me you would get more than one answer.

I don’t rely on the Tortoise Table for guidance; I don’t find the science there very useful, as most of it is for mammals. But if you aren’t comfortable with it you definitely don’t have to feed it. Only you know what feels right for you and your tortoise. Another weed will come your way, no doubt. :)
 

alejzp

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San José, Costa Rica
Thank you very much for your answer... I was just wondering when I say that Tortoise Table, but will see if I can try it... _i just don't want her to get sick o rdie... but if you have found that yours can eat it then I'll try it...
 
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