Most of the plants in the Eastern Agricultural Complex of crops started out as annual weeds before being fully domesticated by the peoples of eastern North America. The crops that started out as annual weeds that grow in disturbed locations included pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri), marshelder (Iva annua), erect knotweed (Polygonum erectum), little barley (Hordeum pusillum), maygrass (Phalaris caroliniana), common sunflower (Helianthus annuus), wooly bean (Strophostyles helvola), and maybe the wild ozark squash (Cucurbita pepo). I am currently in the process of growing a test batch of these lost crops in an experimental
garden bed.
Other common weeds I've collected and grown intentionally are eastern black nightshade (Solanum ptychanthum), common lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album), redroot amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus), wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum), and wild chicory (Cichorium intybus). Currently, I've planted some wild foxtail millet (Setaria faberi) this past Winter to test how well it grows as a grain. The wild foxtail millet has not sprouted yet, but I expect to see it sprout by the end of this month.
Some other weeds I've collected but have not yet intentionally planted include the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), purslane (Portulaca oleracea), yellow
wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta), and curly dock seed (Rumex crispus).
It seems that a lot of crops originally started out as weeds of disturbed areas. Some other examples outside of the Eastern Agricultural complex include foxtail millet (Setaria italica), parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), carrot (Daucus carota), field mustard and turnips (Brassica rapa), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), radish (Raphanus sativus), radicchio (Cichorium intybus), rye (Secale cereale), oats (Avena sativa), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and einkorn wheat (Triticum boeoticum).