# Dandelion vs milkweed



## ladyharley

Can anyone tell me is this is dandelion or milkweed? I know milkweed is poisonous to goats...


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## mjs500doo

I'm not sure what this isn't either dandelion or milkweed, as I am very familiar with both plants here in Wisconsin.


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## ladyharley

mjs500doo said:


> I'm not sure what this is but it is NOT dandelion.


It gets the blooms and the stalks that you blow away (like when we were kids). that's why I thought it was dandelion. I've have eaten it personally mixed in salad, with no effects, but don't know about the goats...


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## mjs500doo

ladyharley said:


> It gets the blooms and the stalks that you blow away (like when we were kids). that's why I though it was dandelion. I've have eaten it personally mixed in salad, with no effects, but don't know about the goats...


Hmm I've actually never seen that plant? Lol where are you from? It's not milkweed either. The monarch caterpillars love (!!) milkweed so I'm familiar with those plants also. Hehe, butterflies are a hobby come spring time.


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## ladyharley

mjs500doo said:


> Hmm I've actually never seen that plant? Lol where are you from? It's not milkweed either. The monarch caterpillars love (!!) milkweed so I'm familiar with those plants also. Hehe, butterflies are a hobby come spring time.


I'm in New Mexico...


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## ThreeHavens

I think I see dandelion ... but I wouldn't feed it just to be sure.


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## ladyharley

Woodhavenfarm said:


> I think I see dandelion ... but I wouldn't feed it just to be sure.


That's why I'm asking, cause to me it looks like dandelion, but the pictures I've seen, the dandelion leaves are skinnier? Hoping someone knows for sure ..


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## mjs500doo

It almost looks like prickly lettuce. 

Dandelion has pointed leaves.


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## mjs500doo

ladyharley said:


> I'm in New Mexico...


Look up prickly lettuce. It almost look like that. We have dandelions up the ying yang up here in Wisconsin during summer months. Dandelion has pointed leaves, yours are rounder.


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## ladyharley

mjs500doo said:


> Look up prickly lettuce. It almost look like that. We have dandelions up the ying yang up here in Wisconsin during summer months. Dandelion has pointed leaves, yours are rounder.


you know, you may be right. I googled it and it looks like it, but the confusion is the flowing stem looks like dandelion, unless there are two in there LOL


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## ladyharley

This is why I don't trust the internet:

http://www.gardenguides.com/862-prickly-lettuce-weed.html

This site says Prickly lettuce is a milkweed plant

yet this site

says http://wiki.bugwood.org/HPIPM:Prickly_lettuce
*identification and Life Cycle *

Prickly lettuce (_Lactuca serriola_) is an annual or rarely a biennial in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). Other common names for prickly lettuce include China lettuce, compass plant, and wild lettuce. Seed leaves (cotyledons) and young leaves are oval with spiny leaf margins and spines along the mid-vein of the lower leaf surface. The leaves form in a basal ros

another site says: Sheep and _goats_ readily feed on _prickly lettuce_ and can consume *...* The _best_ results are obtained when the plant is treated at the rosette stage.


Read more: Prickly Lettuce Weed | Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/862-prickly-lettuce-weed.html#ixzz2DGiGpxcl
​


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## goathiker

Let's try this.
Are the leaves hairy or smooth, do they have spiney edges?
Do they contain a milky sap?
When they are in flower are there oneflower one stem or several flowers coming off the stem?
How big are the flowers?

I'm fairly certain it is Hawksbeard which cattle eat all the time.


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## ladyharley

goathiker said:


> Let's try this.
> Are the leaves hairy or smooth, do they have spiney edges?
> Do they contain a milky sap?
> When they are in flower are there oneflower one stem or several flowers coming off the stem?
> How big are the flowers?
> 
> I'm fairly certain it is Hawksbeard which cattle eat all the time.


leave smooth
no spiney edges, just uneven
one flower
flowers look yellow then turn to the blow stuff like dandelions

here is a close up


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## Jodi_berg

Its neither!


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## mjs500doo

Hawks beard:

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/weedspeciespage/hawksbeard/bristly/rosette_750.jpg

Dandelion:

http://www.msuturfweeds.net/images/galleries/dandelion/b.jpg

Milkweed:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...n_Milkweed_Asclepias_syriaca_Plant_2000px.jpg

Prickly Lettuce:

http://oregonstate.edu/valleyfieldcrops/sites/default/files/Prickly_lettuce_0.jpg

My opinion/views:
Prickly lettuce has like a base stem with the leaves branching off of it.

Dandelions have a center close to the ground in which the leaves spread out from the center. No direct stem.

Hawks beard appears to be relatively small and have a "round" appearance to the plant itself.

Milkweed is obviously very different.

The only two plants I can speak from experience is dandelion and milkweed, and the pic you posted is neither. If I had to pick I still am leaning towards prickly lettuce.


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## ladyharley

mjs500doo said:


> Hawks beard:
> 
> http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/weedspeciespage/hawksbeard/bristly/rosette_750.jpg
> 
> Dandelion:
> 
> http://www.msuturfweeds.net/images/galleries/dandelion/b.jpg
> 
> Milkweed:
> 
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Common_Milkweed_Asclepias_syriaca_Plant_2000px.jpg/220px-Common_Milkweed_Asclepias_syriaca_Plant_2000px.jpg
> 
> Prickly Lettuce:
> 
> http://oregonstate.edu/valleyfieldcrops/sites/default/files/Prickly_lettuce_0.jpg
> 
> My opinion/views:
> Prickly lettuce has like a base stem with the leaves branching off of it.
> 
> Dandelions have a center close to the ground in which the leaves spread out from the center. No direct stem.
> 
> Hawks beard appears to be relatively small and have a "round" appearance to the plant itself.
> 
> Milkweed is obviously very different.
> 
> The only two plants I can speak from experience is dandelion and milkweed, and the pic you posted is neither. If I had to pick I still am leaning towards prickly lettuce.


I looked at the above pics and my pics/leaves don't look like any of them :-(


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## animalfamily

Do you have a Department of Conservation in New Mexico? I live in the midwest and when I have a plant I can't identify I email them a picture. They reply back with the identification _AND_ links to more information on the plant. They are totally awesome!! You might give it a try...


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## mjs500doo

animalfamily said:


> Do you have a Department of Conservation in New Mexico? I live in the midwest and when I have a plant I can't identify I email them a picture. They reply back with the identification AND links to more information on the plant. They are totally awesome!! You might give it a try...


Never thought of that! :thumb:


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## ladyharley

animalfamily said:


> Do you have a Department of Conservation in New Mexico? I live in the midwest and when I have a plant I can't identify I email them a picture. They reply back with the identification _AND_ links to more information on the plant. They are totally awesome!! You might give it a try...


no... emailed pics to the master gardner, never responded back, emailed to the university, got emails that they are sending to someone else, that sends to someone else. etc... BS


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## ladyharley

mjs500doo said:


> Hawks beard:
> 
> http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/weedspeciespage/hawksbeard/bristly/rosette_750.jpg
> 
> Dandelion:
> 
> http://www.msuturfweeds.net/images/galleries/dandelion/b.jpg
> 
> Milkweed:
> 
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Common_Milkweed_Asclepias_syriaca_Plant_2000px.jpg/220px-Common_Milkweed_Asclepias_syriaca_Plant_2000px.jpg
> 
> Prickly Lettuce:
> 
> http://oregonstate.edu/valleyfieldcrops/sites/default/files/Prickly_lettuce_0.jpg
> 
> My opinion/views:
> Prickly lettuce has like a base stem with the leaves branching off of it.
> 
> Dandelions have a center close to the ground in which the leaves spread out from the center. No direct stem.
> 
> Hawks beard appears to be relatively small and have a "round" appearance to the plant itself.
> 
> Milkweed is obviously very different.
> 
> The only two plants I can speak from experience is dandelion and milkweed, and the pic you posted is neither. If I had to pick I still am leaning towards prickly lettuce.


there are no prickley's on the stem, very smooth just irregular edges.. I can't believe a weed is so difficult to identify with the government officials LOL


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## animalfamily

Maybe I can figure a way to send one of your pics to my Dept. of Conservation. They may be able to find out what it is. They have always been very reliable and quick in their replies [at least that's been my experience, I have used them quite often].


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## goathiker

Except for there are about 200 species of hawkweed, then also hawkbit, most people think false dadelions are the real ones with their fuzzy leaves.
The good thing about all this that there are no Dandelion look alikes that are poisonous. The bad thing is that there are about 2000 species in that family and growing as they cross breed. If it truely has a dandelion flower with a rosette plant that doesn't get tall in the second year of it's life, then it's not poisomous. If you're already eating it I wouldn't worry about the goats.


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