Mom Just Bought a Farm: Unidentified Growing Things

I've posted elsewhere that my mom just bought a farm.  It's large, and has a crazy amount of wildlife and plant diversity on it (yay!).  My favorite bit of wildlife is the flight of buzzards that regularly patrol the pasture, but more on them later.

There are a few things growing on the farm that we're having a hard time identifying, mostly from straight-up ignorance.  Some things we've figured out, though.  So, toward the goal of creating a diary of things growing wild on the farm and identifying them, I'm starting this thread.

First up, some sort of tree.  My guess is mulberry, but I really have no idea.  Anyone?

Looks like some kind of Hawthorn to me.

Sure looks like a hawthorn to me too. I think it could be Paul's Scarlet English Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) or something very closely related.
Paul's Scarlet Hawthorne
GREAT FIND!

If you are into herbalism, this is one of the  better herbs to have and even if not, it is a great permaculture plant, ornamental and supplying good food for wildlife!

If we're not so into herbalism, what's it good for?  Decoration doesn't mean much, considering that it's about 1000 feet from the house in an oak grove.

BTW, I didn't see any evidence of flower petals around when I took the picture.  Are they early bloomers?  The ones in the pictures at that link looked amazing, but I would expect there to be some evidence of petals still around in June.

JD

J.D. Ray wrote:If we're not so into herbalism, what's it good for?  Decoration doesn't mean much, considering that it's about 1000 feet from the house in an oak grove.

BTW, I didn't see any evidence of flower petals around when I took the picture.  Are they early bloomers?  The ones in the pictures at that link looked amazing, but I would expect there to be some evidence of petals still around in June.

JD

One of the things Hawthorns were commonly used for was hedgerows as a living fence. Also good for windbreaks. Food for wildlife shouldn't be discounted.  And yes, they bloom early and what is in your photo is the pollinated fruit after blooming is finished. Also hawthorn jelly is pretty tasty.

Hawthorn jelly

Nice.  Any idea when they ripen?

OK, hawthorn identified.  Also, we've been told that this is tarweed, which is, contrary to the way the name sounds, a good thing.  It was evidently planted as a food crop by Native Americans.  Can anyone confirm?

J.D. Ray wrote:
BTW, I didn't see any evidence of flower petals around when I took the picture.  Are they early bloomers?  The ones in the pictures at that link looked amazing, but I would expect there to be some evidence of petals still around in June.

JD

I agree it is likely Crataegus laevigata or similar, but there are a lot of hawthornes! To be sure, we would need to know the location of the tree. Also, don't expect to find flowers and fruits at the same time. Those bits around the ends of the fruits ARE the remains of the flowers. Flowers turn into fruit.

Which reminds me ...
You might want to read more about the edibility of the various parts of this tree before trying them. Some parts are really good but other parts are poisonous. Try this site for more information.
Hawthorne Harvest; Eat the Weeds

J.D. Ray wrote:OK, hawthorn identified.  Also, we've been told that this is tarweed, which is, contrary to the way the name sounds, a good thing.  It was evidently planted as a food crop by Native Americans.  Can anyone confirm?

Tarweed could mean several things. That to me doesn't look like the one the native Americans used for food. But there are so many hard to be sure. That one looks to me like another one from Europe used for ornamental flower gardens that went wild.

Tarweed

Chances are very good we'll leave it to the wildlife, but good for them.  When I said I didn't see any remnants of petals, I meant on the ground.  If it flowers early, they'd be gone by now.

J.D. Ray wrote:OK, hawthorn identified.  Also, we've been told that this is tarweed, which is, contrary to the way the name sounds, a good thing.  It was evidently planted as a food crop by Native Americans.  Can anyone confirm?

J.D. Ray,

It would be much easier for us to help you ID these plants if we knew where you are located. There are people on this forum from all over the world, and plants are different in different regions, so narrowing it down to at least a state or portion of a specific country would be a big help. No need for an exact address, just a region will do.

J.D. Ray wrote:OK, hawthorn identified.  Also, we've been told that this is tarweed, which is, contrary to the way the name sounds, a good thing.  It was evidently planted as a food crop by Native Americans.  Can anyone confirm?

Parentucellia viscosa, aka Tarweed, Yellow glandweed or Yellow bartsia (that's why taxanomic names are so important). Check out this description... http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/weeds/tarweed.html