A non-descript thug in a shade garden ...

This is a weed that I have been dealing with for at least 5-10 years. I do not have it in any other flower bed. When I read books on weeds or view sites with weed identification, I have never found it. It spreads by underground white stolons. Pulling it out is practically impossible because the stolons break off and they are still underground. This plant is about 1 ft. high and sparse of leaves. When I have seen a bloom on the weed, it reminds me of a "Queen Anne's Lace bloom". I have tried to keep this one growing until I had enough of a specimen for someone to identify. This one is in a bed of Siberian irises of which I tried to cut away the foliage. I have 2 photos for use in identifying. Who can help? Here is the first one.

Karin

Some of the leaves have been chewed up by beetles, etc. The background leaves are Siberian leaves!!! The leaves are so hard to describe, I surely hope that someone can identify it. Here is the 2nd photo.

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sure looks like bishops weed (Aegopodium podagraria), which is incredibly persistent.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55676/index.html

I don't envy your effort to evict it.

Looks like some insect will save you the trouble of pulling it up if you are patient, no???

Judy

Judy,
I sure hope so. He can eat his little heart out and save the good plants for me!

I will check out your link for the Bishop's weed, VV, Thank you.

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, that is it ... solid green leaves and very aggressive. The link to the Plant Files was helpful too because someone provided a Massachusetts invasive plant list. (1) The photo with the white stolons nailed it down for me. (2) The pictures of its flower are what I have seen at home before. (3) It has a relation to Queen Anne's lace which I thought the flower looked like.

THAT'S IT!!!!. Must have been in with a plant that I got at a swap a while ago. The most interesting thing for me is that Bishop's weed does NOT have to be variegated. I didn't know that. Mine isn't!! Thanks for all the information you two have provided.

I just love SMART PEOPLE. 8-)

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The variegated version often reverts to green.

Karin: You wrote: "I have tried to keep this one growing until I had enough of a specimen for someone to identify." My STRONG advice is to get out every tiny little bit of this plant, every root, every everything, and watch like a hawk for every new sprout of it to appear, and then get rid of that. This plant can look innocent but it is horribly invasive. It wraps its roots around plants you love and when you try to pry off the roots, they break and later re-sprout. And the roots will literally gallop through your garden. Trust me -- this little plant will cause hours/days/months/years of work to eradicate if you let it go untended even the littlest bit. I speak from experience. . . . .