A familiar weed of lawns, fields, roadsides, and gardens, this plant and its close relatives are the only species eaten by beautiful monarch butterflies.
While its white latex sap and the older foliage are mildly poisonous, young leaves, shoots, flowerbuds, and immature pods are all edible raw or cooked as vegetables.
This WHITE little plant completely lacks chlorophyll and is often mistaken for a fungus or mushroom. In truth, it is a parasite of fungi that feed on tree roots, and is often found in the shade beneath beech or maple trees.
This is the species that is used as THE cultivated walnut tree. It has pinnately compound leaves with about 7 alternate leaflets, larger towards the tip or terminal end.
If you are in central to southern Texas or Mexico, take a closer look at what you THINK is a typical tufted titmouse — and you might be surprised to see this close relative with a black crest and white forehead.
A low-growing “trefoil” weed of lawns and disturbed, nitrogen-poor soil, distinguished by its tiny hop-like yellow flower clusters, pointed tips on each leaflet, and the terminal leaflet on a longer stalk or petiole
.jpg){kind=link}
