What is this plant? - Ask Extension
I suddenly have several of these in my yard. I have never seen them before. They are woody, and very dense and thick. There is no scent or taste to th...
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What is this plant? #839693
Asked July 08, 2023, 11:39 PM EDT
I suddenly have several of these in my yard. I have never seen them before. They are woody, and very dense and thick. There is no scent or taste to them that I can discern. It has dill-like leaves, but they are not soft like dill. They have appeared in an area where we had a bird feeder for many years, but this is the first year that I have seen them.
Ramsey County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thanks for the question.
It is posing a challenge to me. When I key it out, using a couple of different keys, I keep coming up with it being immature Prickly Russian Thistle, which is also known as Tumbleweed (Kali tragus). This is strange because this plant is not normally found in Minnesota. The only rationale explanation is that it arose from seeds in the mix that was used to fill the bird feeder. Whatever. Pull it out and dispose of it before it starts to flower and produce seeds of its own.
See Figure 2 in the following:
https://extension.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/2022-05/P-00238.pdf
Thanks for the somewhat challenging question.
