Weed Is A Four-Letter Word
Published: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 1:56 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 1:56 p.m.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me. I don't think that's true, whether you're talking about people or plants. Take the word "weed": It triggers an immediate, negative response from gardeners -- which, I imagine, is why most people who write plant descriptions in catalogs have stopped using the name pickerelweed. They refer to this native bog plant as pickerel plant or pickerel rush. To me, a traditionalist, this long-flowering, semi-aquatic species with lance-shaped leaves will always be pickerelweed.
Also suffering from the weed word are species of Asclepias, collectively known as milkweeds and renowned for their butterfly appeal. Although some catalogs still call them milkweeds and use the common name butterfly weed for Asclepias tuberosa, that's slowly changing. As far back as 2001, when "A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants" was published, author Rufino Osorio referred to these species as milkplants and to A. tuberosa as butterfly milkplant.
Two Tropical American landscape plants that are popular despite their weed-encumbered names are blue porterweed and pink porterweed. They are, however, universally disliked by native plant purists because they know average gardeners think porterweeds -- which really can be weedy -- are natives. The belief that porterweeds (Stachytarpheta species) are Florida natives probably derives from the fact that these nearly ever-blooming plants are adored by butterflies, which -- despite the plants' weedy names and weedy behavior -- accounts for their acceptance by gardeners.
A true native that deserves widespread landscape use due to its beauty and ease of cultivation is sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum), a perennial doomed to disfavor by its common name. Sneezeweed, a 2-foot to 3-foot-tall plant with daisy-like, yellow-and-brown blossoms from late spring to late autumn, thrives in moist, sunny conditions but adapts to average soil if irrigated during dry spells. It is not in the least weedy, nor does its pollen trigger allergic reactions. The name sneezeweed comes from the use of the petals -- dried and pulverized -- as snuff.
The last plant I'll mention is bugleweed, a low-growing groundcover that's cultivated across much of the U.S., though not extensively in Florida due to its susceptibility to fungal infections and nematodes. Needless to say, the plant (Ajuga reptans) is now more frequently called ajuga than bugleweed.
[ Charles Reynolds, a Winter Haven resident, has an associate's degree in horticulture. ]
This story appeared in print on page B7
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.