Identify this plant...

[Matt Meiser]

This plant lives in the island in the center of our circle drive. It has a rather deep root structure which has made pulling it ineffective. We pull some one place, including as much of the root as we can, then later it pops up in another place. When the leaves are small, they look rather ominous, so I've always worn nitrile gloves around it which is probably part of the problem with pulling it. This is the first time I let it get a little bigger and the leaves look different now that they are larger.

206939

Anyone know..
- What it is?
- Whether its actually hazardous?
- A good way to kill it that won't kill the surrounding plants? Despite the appearance in the photo they aren't dead--they are irises that have had it for the year. They will fill back in so I don't care if we dig a few up, but spraying the area with Roundup is a no-go.

[Chris Damm]

I don't know what it is but you can take an old paint brush and apply Roundup with it. I do it every year and it works well. There would be heck to pay if I killed any of my wife's Iris'!

[Belinda Barfield]

It looks like a wild trumpet creeper to me. But that's just my best guess. You might try shooting a message to Joe Mioux, I bet he can ID it for you.

[Joe Angrisani]

Possibly some type of holly, Matt.

Kinda like Chris said, but I use a slightly different approach on the stubborn guys. Cut them off just above ground level. Then take a wad of about 5 Q-tips taped together and dab on full-strength Roundup or other "complete kill" on the stub (I use Ortho TotalKill - cheaper and just as effective). Be sure to use the concentrate that goes about 2oz to a gallon, but don't dilute it. Repeat about 30 mins later. Kills the root without any chance of harming good plants right next door. I even use this technique for those monster dandelions I somehow miss in the center of the yard, and it doesn't even affect the grass around it.

[Ted Calver]

Is it woody, or herbaceous?

[Prashun Patel]

Take a pair of tongs and rubber band 2 foam brushes to the tips. Dip it in Roundup and squeeze out ALL the excess. Then grasp a little bit of the offending leaves. I'd err on the side of too little rather than too much.

[Matt Meiser]

herbaceous?

LOL--I had to look the word up, but I really couldn't say as I've tried to keep it pulled as best I could.

I googled Wild Trumpet Creeper and that sounds a lot like it but the leaves on mine look bigger than those in the photos I found. One suggestion I found was to mix up a jar of roundup, dig a small hole for the jar nearby, put some of the vine in the solution and cover with a paver for several days to allow the plant to absorb a good amount. The stone keeps animals and rain out. I think I'll give that a try. I have some 50% glyphosate concentrate which should be strong enough. :eek:

[Bill Edwards(2)]

It looks almost like poison oak.

[Al Wasser]

If you don't have quite active growth, Roundup may not do anything. Around here some plants are starting to shut down for winter and any herbicide will do very little to them.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Matt........hang tight..........SWMBO is an expert in this particular area [plants], and we lived in your general area for many years. I sent her the photo, however......................

Unfortunately for you, she is also a gourmet cook, and I like to eat, and it is getting on dinner time.........you are not at the top of the list at this specific moment. But - I will get back to you.

Nothing personal, you understand. I like you, but I don't like you more than my gourmet dinners. :D :D :D

[Belinda Barfield]

The leaves can vary in size on the wild trumpet Creeper Matt. Check out this link. Click on first photo to enlarge. Also, scroll down the page and note the precautions about handling this plant.

http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/cam.rad.htm

[ray hampton]

belinda, do you know of another plant with flowers similar to trumpet creepers flowers, there is a plant behind the the house that looks similar that my wife cut back couple of times

[John Shuk]

I was going to say some sort of trumpet vine as well.

[Anthony Whitesell]

If you don't have quite active growth, Roundup may not do anything. Around here some plants are starting to shut down for winter and any herbicide will do very little to them.

I'm being told by several sources that the best time to get them is when they start to shutdown for winter (as the leaves change color). As they shut down for the winter, they draw in water and nutrients (and herbicides) into their root system. It won't have an effect this year, but it will next spring.

[Brian Kent]

It sure looks like the Poison Ivy that I looked out for in the Colorado Rockies, but it's been a long time. What color are the stems? Does it have an acidic taste (just kidding on that one!).

Edit: right shaped leaves and the stems don't have to be red, but they are not in clusters of 3.

2nd Edit: I think Michigan has Poison Sumac too. The clusters fit Poison Sumac patterns.

[Belinda Barfield]

belinda, do you know of another plant with flowers similar to trumpet creepers flowers, there is a plant behind the the house that looks similar that my wife cut back couple of times

Not off the top of my head Ray.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Poison ivy on the east coast has clumps of three leaves and each leaf is a tear drop shape. I would not call the plant in the photo poison ivy. Poison oak, maybe.

[David Weaver]

triclopyr and 2-4D mixed if you get more than one of those and you want to be able to spray them without killing grass. Triclopyr comes in chickweed and clover killers. If you put it on without 2-4D, it can be hard on the grass (because of the concentration recommended when it's not mixed with something). Something about putting them together makes for a very effective weed killer that doesn't yellow grass and uses less triclopyr, but still kills things that 2-4D won't kill - like ground ivy, clover and vine-type waxy plants.

Ortho's chickweed and clover triclopyr weed killer has instructions in it for a reduced dose mixed with 2-4D.

[Brian Tymchak]

It definitely is not poison oak or ivy. Poison oak and ivy have "leaves of three" => let it be. Poison oak can also have varying leaf shapes.

Poison sumac has 5-13 leaves on a red stem with the leaves opposing one another on the stem with 1 leaf at the tip, but the leaves are generally more oval shaped. Definitely not a lobed-leaf as the plant Matt is showing.

Here's a link to page I found showing leaf diagrams of the 3 plants. http://adam.about.net/encyclopedia/Poison-plants.htm

[Bruce Page]

Aside from the variegated leaves Belinda’s guess looks an awful like the Trumpet Vines that I bought from the nursery and planted a few years ago. I trim it back once or twice a year and have never had any skin irritation from it.
The humming birds love it.

[Belinda Barfield]

Bruce, I bought a couple of trumpet vines years ago when I moved into a new house. If I recall correctly I paid a little over 30 bucks each for them. Blooming season came along and I discovered wild trumpet creeper all over the property! Hummingbirds do love the flowers.

[Bruce Page]

We've had a few off shoots from it, but nothing too bad. It's probably due to the dryer weather out here.

[Belinda Barfield]

We've had a few off shoots from it, but nothing too bad. It's probably due to the dryer weather out here.

Should have clarified. Not shoots from the plants I bought. The stuff was growing everywhere for free!

[Donny Lawson]

Around here it's called"Cow itch". It is related to the poison oak family. When it gets bigger it will have orange looking flowers on it. When I was a child I would get in that all the time. It will break you out in a rash and bumps(just like poison oak). Round up is a good treatment though.

[ray hampton]

way back when I were a child/ I were warn to stay away from poison oak, poison ivy and sumac but no one mention the Cow Lick plant, could this be because the Cow Lick are another import from the 80's

[Bill Edwards(2)]

:D:D:D

Scientific Name
Campsis radicans
Common Name
Trumpet creeper, cow-itch

Not sure about the Cow Lick plant, that Ray's talking about.

[ray hampton]

:D:D:D

Scientific Name
Campsis radicans
Common Name
Trumpet creeper, cow-itch

Not sure about the Cow Lick plant, that Ray's talking about.

the cow-lick are suppose to be cow-itch and itch