Plant I.D./Safety- Also: peppermint vs mint

SasquatchTortoise

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I have many weeds growing in the new enclosure (sulcata) and out in the yard. A few I've identified, but others I cannot.
1. I've identified as a Virginia Copperleaf, but I can't find info on its safety
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2. I.D.ed as American Mallow, but again no safety info available. It has orange flowers in early spring.
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3. most likely from the Lepidium genus. Maybe Safe?
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4. It might be horseweed, but i've gotten mixed results on its appearance
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5. It's probably either Euphorbia davivii (toothed spurge), Euphorbia heterophylla (Japanese poinsetta), or Mercurialis annua (annual mercury). Either way i'm assuming it's not safe, but I wanted to check.
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6. most likely from a basket elm sapling
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7. I cannot figure out if this is peppermint or mint. I know one is safe and the other is not.
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RosemaryDW

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I will start out by stating that euphorbias (spurges) are not generally recommended. I'm very casual with what I feed my Russian; euphorbias are one of the few things I won't feed. Unless there is a specific euphorbia that is part of the native diet for a specific tortoise I recommended against it. So your first plant is a "No" from me as if the fifth, regardless of which particular euphorbia it is.

Do the orange flowers on the American mallow look like this? Most people are going to think you mean common mallow which has a different looking leaf and a pinkish flower. American mallow is perfectly fine, I've just never seen it mentioned here.

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I don't know sedums so can't help with the third photo.

The fourth is indeed horseweed and while it isn't poisonous it isn't really edible. It also turns into a huge, hideous weed so I encourage you to pull it as early as you can.

The science in the Tortoise Table, which I imagine you are looking at to determine whether peppermint is safe, is not found by some members to be reliable; I am one of them. They often rely on mammal studies, which are not terribly relevant for reptiles. Peppermint is in the same plant family as pretty much every other herb and I can't see how it could be much different/unsafe, even though I know it has a different makeup than spearmint. Most herbs are not of interest to tortoises due to the strong scents anyway. At any rate, if you want to figure out which it is, taste it. Peppermint is intensely minty, like toothpaste. Spearmint is going to be much less so. The mint you buy at the grocery store is similar to spearmint so you can buy that to do a taste test. Yours "looks" like peppermint to me, from the shape of the leaves, but we don't have it growing around here so I don't like to guess. Mint is highly invasive so if it's in the enclosure I'm not sure how you would get rid of it without a scorch and burn, if even that would work. Perhaps others can help with that.
 

SasquatchTortoise

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I will start out by stating that euphorbias (spurges) are not generally recommended. I'm very casual with what I feed my Russian; euphorbias are one of the few things I won't feed. Unless there is a specific euphorbia that is part of the native diet for a specific tortoise I recommended against it. So your first plant is a "No" from me as if the fifth, regardless of which particular euphorbia it is.

Do the orange flowers on the American mallow look like this? Most people are going to think you mean common mallow which has a different looking leaf and a pinkish flower. American mallow is perfectly fine, I've just never seen it mentioned here.

View attachment 345873


I don't know sedums so can't help with the third photo.

The fourth is indeed horseweed and while it isn't poisonous it isn't really edible. It also turns into a huge, hideous weed so I encourage you to pull it as early as you can.

The science in the Tortoise Table, which I imagine you are looking at to determine whether peppermint is safe, is not found by some members to be reliable; I am one of them. They often rely on mammal studies, which are not terribly relevant for reptiles. Peppermint is in the same plant family as pretty much every other herb and I can't see how it could be much different/unsafe, even though I know it has a different makeup than spearmint. Most herbs are not of interest to tortoises due to the strong scents anyway. At any rate, if you want to figure out which it is, taste it. Peppermint is intensely minty, like toothpaste. Spearmint is going to be much less so. The mint you buy at the grocery store is similar to spearmint so you can buy that to do a taste test. Yours "looks" like peppermint to me, from the shape of the leaves, but we don't have it growing around here so I don't like to guess. Mint is highly invasive so if it's in the enclosure I'm not sure how you would get rid of it without a scorch and burn, if even that would work. Perhaps others can help with that.
Hello. Sorry for answering so late

@RosemaryDW - yes, it is American Mallow. I actually quite like its creeping, vine- like growth.
I am using some Tortoise Table info here, but I found some more possible answers
1. Virginia copperleaf is part of the spurge family, I am assuming it is a less, but still poisonous, member...
2. ~
3. Lepidium virginicum, If I am correct, is part of the brassica family, so probably not poisonous, but not the best?
4. ~
5. not safe, I am assuming. It has mostly died off anyway. I'll make sure the seeds don't get far.
6. The Tortoise Table says elm are safe...
7. It has a stronger flavor, So it is likely peppermint. Our tortoise never showed much interest anyway, and weeds have managed to mostly out compete it.

There are some plants that I forgot to mention:
8. Likely a finger grass?
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A few others I can positively Identify/ have planted over the years/ impulse bought. I've mentioned these before, But couldn't get answers
9. Indian Grass (Sorghastrum Nutans)- I believe that I've seen it mentioned in a seed mix for tortoises here once. If I understand crude protein correctly, it ranges from around 5%-11%
10. Blue Grama- I can say almost positively that this is safe. I've seen it mentioned countless times here
11. Inland Sea Oats (chasmanthium latifolium)- There seems to be almost no info on this grass. A few cattle forums have said that it is safe (for cattle at least) but may die back with heavy grazing

@Yvonne G - If you don't mind me asking for your help, but I've heard that you have extensive knowledge of plants. Do you have any Ideas?
 

Mr Hoppy

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Hi there,

Pretty new to all this and love all the advice and info on here - thank you! Have a load of these growing nearby and have not been able to identify. Would anybody be able to help out please??
 

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SasquatchTortoise

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Hi there,

Pretty new to all this and love all the advice and info on here - thank you! Have a load of these growing nearby and have not been able to identify. Would anybody be able to help out please??
Can I provide a Guess? I believe it may be Bristly Ox-tongue. The Tortoise Table is helpful with identification.

Well I guess the plants I have found are too obscure.... oh well
 

RosemaryDW

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Wow, you've got some great wild peas growing in there!

It's hard to say for sure when I can't see much other than the flowers, although it definitely could be bristly ox-tongue. Can you start by grabbing some leaves to see if they stick to your clothes or other fabric? If so, the answer is yes.

If that doesn't work see if you can't clean the area around one of them so we can better look at the whole plant, leaves and stems. Take a photo of that.
 

RosemaryDW

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I can't answer any grass questions as I don't have a grass eater. I would suggest you try each of these in the search feature and see what pops up; I know we had a question on sea oats not long ago. If nothing pops up I think I'd ask about them in the sulcata thread and see if anyone can help out.
 

Mr Hoppy

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Many thanks for the replies and advice! I’ll get a better picture. It would be handy if they’re good for torts, there are loads around! 👍🏻
 

MenagerieGrl

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Many thanks for the replies and advice! I’ll get a better picture. It would be handy if they’re good for torts, there are loads around! 👍🏻
Yes, a better picture would help, The flowers are similar to Ox Tongue, But it's too hard to tell with all the competing weeds in the picture...
Here's Bristly Ox Tongue with a Dandelion on the right
 

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SasquatchTortoise

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Forth Worth, Texas
I can't answer any grass questions as I don't have a grass eater. I would suggest you try each of these in the search feature and see what pops up; I know we had a question on sea oats not long ago. If nothing pops up I think I'd ask about them in the sulcata thread and see if anyone can help out.
I’m pretty sure it was me asking the question on the inland sea oats (a little different from sea oats), but no one seems to know
I’ve had to grow a lot of native plants because the clay soil combined with unpredictable rainfall and temperatures seems to be good at killing all my hard work…
there are some grasses I can pretty much confirm are safe, such as Buffalo grass, big bluestem, and little bluestem
I just haven’t been able to figure out The safety of #8,9,10,11
 

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