| Author | Content |
dave
Jacksonville, TX
(Zone 8a)
 August 1, 2005
9:50 AM Post #1663862
| There are a total of 284 votes:
| A perennial weed that is not killed out by freezing temperatures
(29 votes, 10%) |  |
| A plant that spreads aggressively by roots and/or seed
(129 votes, 45%) | |
| A plant containing compounds that kill plants growing near it
(52 votes, 18%) | |
| A classification for toxic plants (such as poison ivy)
(13 votes, 4%) | |
| An exotic or escaped plant (as opposed to a native plant)
(8 votes, 2%) | |
| A made-up term since weed is subjective
(43 votes, 15%) | |
| Other?
(10 votes, 3%) | |
|
Previous Polls |
2pugdogs
(Linda) Winfield, KS
(Zone 6a)
August 1, 2005
10:33 AM Post #1663947
| I just had to take a guess, and I voted for the second one.
Linda |
kikisdad
Apalachin, NY
(Zone 9a)
August 1, 2005
12:24 PM Post #1664234
| pernicious means "deadly" so I went with the killer plant daffynition. The thing is Black Walnuts do this but by no means are considered weeds.Oh well the plant files didn't return an exact match so I had to play fair and guess. |
DarwinESF
Syracuse, NY
(Zone 5a)
August 1, 2005
12:28 PM Post #1664243
| Gotta admit I had no clue on this one.. but something about the term pernicious ('pernicious knids' from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Roald Dahl) made me think the whole term might as well be made up.. Especially since even the terms 'invasive' and 'aggressive' are subjective (unfortunately...). |
ACsAgapePlants
Mesa, AZ
(Zone 9a)
August 1, 2005
12:29 PM Post #1664245
| Ok I must admit I hadn't had my coffee when I first looked at this. I though it said "Permiscuious"
weed:-). I thought well that must be a weed that grows "wild"
Agape,
Awanda |
ncgardenaddict
Kannapolis, NC
(Zone 7b)
August 1, 2005
12:53 PM Post #1664310
| AHAHAHA!! Awanda! That is too funny!
Well I had to take a guess myself. Was probably wrong but then again I've been wrong plenty of other times. I picked the first one.
Nicole |
Karrie20x
Spokane, WA
(Zone 6a)
August 1, 2005
1:24 PM Post #1664373
| I went with toxic - didn't check first, don't know for sure! |
makshi
Noblesville, IN
(Zone 5a)
August 1, 2005
2:42 PM Post #1664541
| I went with killer plant. Which one is it?? |
okus
New York(UK!)Lincoln
(United Kingdom)
(Zone 8b)
August 1, 2005
3:04 PM Post #1664612
| I always beleived it was one that was almost impossible to iradicate because it spread. Like Couch grass ( I think its called Knot Grass in the USA) miss one tiny bit of the root and its back. Dig the yard and you probably get twice as much as before because you cut a root in bits. |
RachaelBee
N., CA
(Zone 9a)
August 1, 2005
3:15 PM Post #1664639
| Didnt know before I looked it up, but I voted for #6. I love that: "weeds are subjective"! (-: |
pirl
Southold, NY
(Zone 7a)
August 1, 2005
3:17 PM Post #1664643
| I agree with okus! |
spectrum
(Zone 2b)
August 1, 2005
5:36 PM Post #1664946
| The 'compound that kills other plants' one is 'allelopathic'. |
Iluvmygarden
Hope, BC
(Zone 7a)
August 1, 2005
6:49 PM Post #1665062
| I voted for the aggressive spreading one, just my first gut-instinct...Which is it?? I am dying to know... |
melody
Benton, KY
(Zone 7a)
August 1, 2005
6:53 PM Post #1665065
| I went for # 6...the term is used in more than just gardening...and although kudzu is 'pernacious' here in the South...I doubt that it would be in Maine.
waiting and curious as to the truth... |
Starzz
Newcastle, ON
(Zone 5a)
August 1, 2005
9:05 PM Post #1665317
| I voted # 2..just a quick guess...
sounds like my Goutweed. LOL |
Lilypon
Moose Jaw, SK
(Zone 3b)
August 1, 2005
9:21 PM Post #1665362
| Pernicious : [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com] Also known as Hell's Bells (in lower zone gardens). Evidently in higher zoned gardens it is kept in check...here it is comparable to Kudzu. |
mysticwill
Brookhaven, PA
(Zone 7a)
August 1, 2005
10:13 PM Post #1665461
|
"Plants that are destructive to other plants in their midst are sometimes characterized as pernicious weeds."
From Garden Terms... but still dosn't really answer the question |
imway2dumb
Gordonville, TX
(Zone 7b)
August 1, 2005
11:13 PM Post #1665644
| I voted other. "Its a made up term since a weed is subjective" is close but, only half right. It is a made up term but, not b/c weed is subjective (true). It is a made up term b/c Terry made it up. |
McGlory
Southeast, NE
(Zone 5a)
August 1, 2005
11:42 PM Post #1665709
| I guessed too. I'm new to DG, so I don't know when we get the real answer. Can someone tell me? |
danak
Olympia, WA
(Zone 7b)
August 2, 2005
2:44 AM Post #1665869
| According to Dictionary.com, "pernicious" means:
"Tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly: a pernicious virus.
Causing great harm; destructive: pernicious rumors."
So I voted for the plant that contains compounds that kill other plants growing near it. If that's right, I may have seen one of these plants before, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It was called a Lemon Ant Tree (but maybe a tree isn't a weed...), named for the ants that live in the tree, and the ants are so-named because they actually taste like lemons! (It's true, I ate one.) So now I'm curious if that's why it had no plants growing around it-- something that really stands out like a sore thumb in the rainforest!! But it certainly has its benefits since there's so much competition for sunlight.
Although I guess toxic plants could also work with that definition. I'll be curious to find out the answer! |
imway2dumb
Gordonville, TX
(Zone 7b)
August 2, 2005
9:44 AM Post #1666325
| The term seems appropriate for an exotic (introduced) plant that kills or injures a native plant community. I don't think it is an "official" term so I said it is made up. I think it could be argued that it is a more objective term than some of others to describe weeds. :-) |
QueenB
Shepherd, TX
(Zone 8b)
August 2, 2005
11:31 AM Post #1666517
| I consider myself pernicious when it comes to weeds...and some plants. :-(( |
kc8lcw
Columbus, OH
(Zone 6a)
August 2, 2005
8:08 PM Post #1667487
| I had to choose the deadly one! Resource for my answer follows:
[HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
If the link doesn't work, here's what is posted there:
Plants that are destructive to other plants in their midst are sometimes characterized as pernicious weeds. Plants often tagged with this epithet include the following:
Aegopodium podagraria (Ground-elder or Bishop's Weed)
Cirsium arvense (Canadian Thistle)
Convulvulus arvensis (Bindweed)
Phalaris arundinacea (Canary Reed)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese Knotweed)
Sinapsis arvensis (Wild Mustard)
Solanum dulcamara (Deadly Nightshade)
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy Ragwort)
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but merely a representative sampling. Some of these plants are regularly cultivated in gardens, but gardeners should be aware of the potential danger these plants pose to other plants, both native and cultivated.
|
Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)
August 2, 2005
8:33 PM Post #1667521
| The voting booth is only 1.5 days old, so no "official" answers just yet. But I will say this: I didn't make up the term. You can Google for it and find many other resources using the term ;o)
|
HERBIE43
wappingers falls, NY
(Zone 5b)
August 3, 2005
7:48 AM Post #1668173
| i thought it was the one with the freezing because i have had a weed that grows all over my lilly bushes and i have not been able to kill it for the past 5 years. it disappeas in the winter and comes back each spring. |
mkjones
Trophy Club, TX
(Zone 8a)
August 3, 2005
11:22 AM Post #1668556
| From Dictionary.com: Archaic. Evil; wicked.
Now, THAT's a weed's definition, isn't it?? lol |
Kelli
Los Angeles (Canoga , CA
(Zone 10a)
August 3, 2005
12:56 PM Post #1668739
| I voted for the first one. I guess I was thinking of tenacious, rather than pernicious. |
imway2dumb
Gordonville, TX
(Zone 7b)
August 3, 2005
1:07 PM Post #1668761
| Welcome to DG, McGlory!! It can be found in Garden Terms. Next to last tab at the top of this page. [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
John |
McGlory
Southeast, NE
(Zone 5a)
August 3, 2005
4:40 PM Post #1669192
| Hey, thank you! |
jestelleoan
Tyler, TX
(Zone 8a)
August 4, 2005
11:23 AM Post #1670768
| I guessed with the best but we were wrong. Now I have to found out what Bishops Weed does to other plants. I learnd something new today. Thank You, Terry. Joan |
greenox
New Fairfield, CT
(Zone 5a)
August 7, 2005
7:49 AM Post #1676569
| One gardener's weed is another's... pernicious adj. "tending to cause death or serious harm" American Heritage Dictionary. That could cover quite a variety of weeds.
My vote for the most obnoxious weed here in Southern New England is Bittersweet; it's the kudzu of the north. I still see it for sale in Vermont (not to pick on Vermont) and other places in the fall , but last year the CT Legislature banned it. Unchecked, Bittersweet is insidious. The birds love but it smothers the tree or whatever supports it. This is a great time to get out/rent one of those sharp gas powered hedgers and cut back the weeds climbing into the trees because the bittersweet, wild grapes, etc. are still unripe. Those gas hedgers are usually very sharp but make short work of hedging where fussiness isn't required and esp. where a hedge has been let go.
|
City_Sylvia
Dallas, TX
August 7, 2005
5:09 PM Post #1677550
| I really dont know...I wish some one would tell me...number two sound good though. when do we find out? |
nanx
Nashville, TN
(Zone 7a)
August 7, 2005
6:40 PM Post #1677683
| I already had a pernicious image in mind! It's the Shrub Honeysuckle (AKA Shrubzilla as we call it) that overtook our yard for 10 years. Not the lovely sweet nectar vine but an evil nonfragrant bush that gets up to about 10' tall, crossbreeds with the desirable honeysuckle, has roots as deep to Austrailia and shades out everything else. It made it a jungle out there in our 3/4 acre. It gets "honeysuckles," blossoms on it that are shorter and blooms twice a year. There are still a few bushes left after our massive ongoing attack since October. Hackberry trees are stubborn, poison ivy is stubborn and deadly, but I think Shrubzilla is the worst. It's relatively easy to control the others! Tennessee considers the Privet as well as the shrub honeysuckle an invasive and devastating weed but I don't know for sure what it looks like. I took some pics of Shrubzilla before we began clearing it out. Here's one I had, evidently not one I took as I see when it loaded, can't see how to un-post it. (It's a Daves Garden photo! Hah! Embarassing! Sorry!) Will try to find one I took.
This message was edited Aug 7, 2005 10:44 PM
This message was edited Aug 7, 2005 10:45 PM
This message was edited Aug 7, 2005 10:47 PM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)
August 9, 2005
11:03 PM Post #1682455
| The second option was "most" correct, although some definitions throw in a dash of the third option for good measure. (I would tend to agree that allelopathic is the correct term for plants that kill off the competition.) |
