I stumbled across this site while looking for a way to identify this plant that is taking over my flower bed. It is about 3-4 ft tall, has a main stalk with several secondary stalks, and is topped off by a small plume of white buds. It also seems to be a favorite meal for japanese beetles. There are currently 5-6 stalks in between plots of coneflowers and black-eyed susans (I know those are not the scientific names) in our flower bed. Any help ID-ing this plant/weed would be appreciated. I am in Central Ohio if that helps with the identification. --Jeff
Given that the photo is not in focus, it's hard to be sure, but it may be a Polygonum species, a genus that contains many invasive plants. They typically have "jointed" stems, so more photos would be helpful.
Thanks for the quick reply! I took a couple more pictures (of the top and the stem) - it's getting dark so if these don't help I'll take more in daylight tomorrow.
Looks like it. Here's another site that describes it: http://images.google.com/imgres?img...&ndsp=18&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&sa=N
I think that's it - at least now I know I can pull it out without fear of wasting a 'good' plant! Thanks to both of you for your responses - I'm a fairly new homeowner and I don't always recognize everything growing in/around our property, so this probably won't be the last time I post an inquiry. --Jeff
