safe plants?

[Lisa4mk]

Hi, newbie sulcata mom here. I have these weeds in central texas and wondered if they are safe for my sulcata to eat? I think the first one is Phyla nodiflora. Here is the info I found. http://southwestdesertflora.com/Web.../Phyla nodiflora, Turkey Tangle Fogfruit.html

I can't get a definitive ID on the second one. My best guess is wireweed. Sida acuta or Sida rhombifolia. Anybody know for sure?

Anyway, I would appreciate any input on these since I found them in my yard. I love the beauty of gardening but the science of it is daunting. I have read Tom's articles on Sulcata care and acceptable foods but these two are not listed.
Lisa in Round Rock, Texas.

 

[TisMary]

Hi, newbie sulcata mom here. I have these weeds in central texas and wondered if they are safe for my sulcata to eat? I think the first one is Phyla nodiflora. Here is the info I found. http://southwestdesertflora.com/Web.../Phyla nodiflora, Turkey Tangle Fogfruit.html

I can't get a definitive ID on the second one. My best guess is wireweed. Sida acuta or Sida rhombifolia. Anybody know for sure?

Anyway, I would appreciate any input on these since I found them in my yard. I love the beauty of gardening but the science of it is daunting. I have read Tom's articles on Sulcata care and acceptable foods but these two are not listed.
Lisa in Round Rock, Texas.

Hi @Lisa4mk - thanks for taking these pics and a first shot at ID'ing these plants. Would you please take a good look at the detail on your flowers - there are a few dead give-aways that should help.

IS IT SIDA? (YELLOW FLOWERS)
Check out this page from Alabama Plants on Sida rhombifolia. Especially the flower ("five petals .... Each of the five overlapping petals is asymmetric, having a long lobe on one side." - wikipedia). Both species (S. rhombifolia and S. acuta) have very similar flowers. If yours looks like this, then yep - you got a Sida; a genus in the Mallow (Malvaceae) Family (same as Hibsicus, Rose Mallow)


SIDA spp. OK to Feed?
Don't find it in the Tortoise Table Plant Database, so I googled "Sida rhombifolia toxic" and found this article: Sida, Wireweed. I'd say "feed in moderation"; no mention of poisons, but it's fairly high in protein (7.4% - right up there with, say tofu - more information here: Nutrition Content - Beautiful Dragons Reptile Rescue - a good resource for looking up contents of foods by calcium, protein, etc.). Also, the leaves contain Ephedrine which is "used to dilate asthmatic lungs, and can drive up your heart rate and blood pressure"


IS IT PHYLA nodiflora? (PURPLY FLOWERS)
"Turkey Tangle Frogfruit" - there's a pretty good story behind that name! ?
Again, can't see the flower details in your pic, but you can tell if it looks like this.

courtesy of wikipedia

P. nodiflora - OK to Feed?
I don't find anything that warns of toxicity or poison with this plant. Here is an ancient (2005) study that says it is not toxic to humans or animals: Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) - Phyla nodiflora
You might want to contact your local garden experts - here's a place to start: Central Texas Gardener.

Bounce back if these suggestions don't pan out. Good luck!

 

[Lisa4mk]

Hi @Lisa4mk - thanks for taking these pics and a first shot at ID'ing these plants. Would you please take a good look at the detail on your flowers - there are a few dead give-aways that should help.

IS IT SIDA? (YELLOW FLOWERS)
Check out this page from Alabama Plants on Sida rhombifolia. Especially the flower ("five petals .... Each of the five overlapping petals is asymmetric, having a long lobe on one side." - wikipedia). Both species (S. rhombifolia and S. acuta) have very similar flowers. If yours looks like this, then yep - you got a Sida; a genus in the Mallow (Malvaceae) Family (same as Hibsicus, Rose Mallow)
View attachment 331684

SIDA spp. OK to Feed?
Don't find it in the Tortoise Table Plant Database, so I googled "Sida rhombifolia toxic" and found this article: Sida, Wireweed. I'd say "feed in moderation"; no mention of poisons, but it's fairly high in protein (7.4% - right up there with, say tofu - more information here: Nutrition Content - Beautiful Dragons Reptile Rescue - a good resource for looking up contents of foods by calcium, protein, etc.). Also, the leaves contain Ephedrine which is "used to dilate asthmatic lungs, and can drive up your heart rate and blood pressure"


IS IT PHYLA nodiflora? (PURPLY FLOWERS)
"Turkey Tangle Frogfruit" - there's a pretty good story behind that name! ?
Again, can't see the flower details in your pic, but you can tell if it looks like this.
View attachment 331685
courtesy of wikipedia

P. nodiflora - OK to Feed?
I don't find anything that warns of toxicity or poison with this plant. Here is an ancient (2005) study that says it is not toxic to humans or animals: Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) - Phyla nodiflora
You might want to contact your local garden experts - here's a place to start: Central Texas Gardener.

Bounce back if these suggestions don't pan out. Good luck!

Oh my goodness-Thank you for your reply!! I have never studied botany but I have been a gardener all my life. I thought I knew alot about plants but now I feel like you need a degree just to comprehend the vast AMOUNT of plants in the world! I love to learn and can go down a rabbit hole for hours if you know what I mean My daughter and I spent an hour on the computer last night researching just these two weeds and afterward I STILL didn't think I could be sure. It is amazing how much there is to learn! I'm glad you included the method of your ID. That helped me a lot. I am confident both of the ID's are correct. My daughter even commented on the shape of the sida petals. She said, "Mom, those flower petals are odd, they look like butterfly wings." What a small detail. Also, the nodiflora flowers are exactly like the pic you posted. Sorry my pic was not as clear. I'm still learning the best way to post pics.

Now if I could just find a tortoise plant table more tailored to the U.S. I'd feel better. I am starting a list of my own with each local plant/weed I look up. I realized quickly I would never remember all this so keeping a log is a must.

Thanks again for your input! Everyone is so nice and helpful. Glad to have found this site!

 

[TisMary]

Oh my goodness-Thank you for your reply!! I have never studied botany but I have been a gardener all my life. I thought I knew alot about plants but now I feel like you need a degree just to comprehend the vast AMOUNT of plants in the world! I love to learn and can go down a rabbit hole for hours if you know what I mean My daughter and I spent an hour on the computer last night researching just these two weeds and afterward I STILL didn't think I could be sure. It is amazing how much there is to learn! I'm glad you included the method of your ID. That helped me a lot. I am confident both of the ID's are correct. My daughter even commented on the shape of the sida petals. She said, "Mom, those flower petals are odd, they look like butterfly wings." What a small detail. Also, the nodiflora flowers are exactly like the pic you posted. Sorry my pic was not as clear. I'm still learning the best way to post pics.

Now if I could just find a tortoise plant table more tailored to the U.S. I'd feel better. I am starting a list of my own with each local plant/weed I look up. I realized quickly I would never remember all this so keeping a log is a must.

Thanks again for your input! Everyone is so nice and helpful. Glad to have found this site!

You're welcome @Lisa4mk. Don't give up on TTT Plant Database. Many, many species of plants here in the US made their way from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East (see below).

There are 2 books I highly recommend if you and/or your daughter want to get more into botany; written for regular folks! The first is Botany in a Day and its accompanying website Wildflowers and Weeds. By learning the unique characteristics of just a few plant families, you can quickly start putting plants that you come across into one of those Families (helps to focus your efforts in the beginning).

The second is Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon. Make sure you get the 3rd (most recent) edition. I've also been a gardener for years, but I learned some amazing stuff from this book.

Fun fact! The pollen of every individual species of plant is unique! With electron microscopes that can see these tiny, tiny grains botanists are busy reclassifying plants into their correct genus and species! (see Pollen Under The Microscope). Here's a picture of pollen granules from several species of the Mallow Family mentioned above. The last one is a species of your Sida (notice that this source is from Yemen!)

courtesy Pollen Morphology of Malvaceae and its taxonomic significance in Yemen

#18 Gossypium hirsutum or "upland cotton", is the same genus and species found here in the states. As a matter of fact, 90% of all cotton production is of cultivars derived from this species . All this is to say "A little thing like an ocean doesn't stop the birds and the bees!" I just made that up! ?