Help! Is This a Weed or Flower??

Question

This has started to spread. I think it appeared after getting mulch. Possibly even a Missouri wildflower??? When I pull them there is a scent that is hard to describe...almost a tad minty. Please help identify.

Mariposa · Answer

Looks like Houttuynia cordata It can be very invasive.

Barb Rosen · Answer

Quick! Dig this out as fast as you can! Here's a post about it in my garden http://www.hometalk.com/diy/grow/flowers/a-garden-mistake-1613185

Vinh · Answer

First time posting and thought I would start here. This plant/herb is used frequently in Vietnamese cuisine. It is invasive Some information can be found on its uses here: http://vietherbs.com/herb-directory/fish-herb/

Karin Graham · Answer

i have this at a place in my garden were it is very wett and nothing survived there , it is a Camelion plant i like it yes you have to pull it up often were you dont want it

Barb Rosen · Answer

Quick, @Bernice H ~ tell her to yank the stuff while there is still time !!!!

Mariposa · Answer

I am lucky that I planted it in a very small flower bed and it hasn't spread too much because I yanked the big root system then i pull th babies as they come up :(

Bernice H · Answer

@Sharon G Those of us with Hooty experience...want to encourage you to get ti all out . Even tho it is 'pretty' it is a plant from hell unless you are way out in the woods or desert where you just want ANYTHING to grow! Don't just pull, you have to dig gently, then any bits of white slender root you find, pick them out. Sift the dirt, go deep. Forever! I found one leaf this year, dug it out, but we were so sure after sifting all the dirt around we had gotten all the bits the season before ... @Mariposa do you dig or just pull, because any broken bits will send up new ones.The roots travel, then pop up unexpectedly somewhere else. I googled this plant, and that is what it is called by some gardeners, the plant from hell. Dig deep and sift...We are contending with that little morning glory stuff. It is rampant, winding around my sunflowers ,wheel barrow etc!

Susan B · Answer

oh my..... you're not gonna like this. been trying to get rid of this for TWELVE yrs. good luck!!!!! p.s. im moving. it drove me away lol

Susan B · Answer

i think it smells kind of like cilantro.

Mariposa · Answer

I dig all the roots from th new shoots the area where mine grows is very small so I don't have the nightmare that you have.

Mariposa · Answer

No not cilantro cilantro has a good smell LOL this is a weird smell you never forget it.

Sonya Richards · Answer

have the same problem with it.. it is very hard to get rid of been trying for years myself

Nancy Spencer Carlson · Answer

lol! sounds like my kind of plant! I would love something to take over the yard that I didn't have to mow or water! Yeah yeah. I know. The neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate it very much.

Melissa · Answer

I do NOT like the smell of this...and, it is horribly invasive. It moved all over my shady yard, popping up wherever. I dug, and dug, and dug....I moved! Feel sorry for those who have to deal with it!

Ginger Throckmorton · Answer

I have this plant in two identical planters and it has behaved very well year after year giving a beautiful green full look.

Celeste S · Answer

Grown as a leaf vegetable, particularly in Vietnam, where it is called giấp cá or diếp cá and is used as a fresh herbal garnish. The leaf has an unusual taste that is often described asfishy (earning it the nickname 'fish mint'), so it is not enjoyed as universally as basil, mint, or other more commonly used herbs. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata

Sharon G · Answer

THANK YOU ALL! I will start getting it before it takes over even more! Luckily it is between a four sided concrete area by my front yard. Hope it doesnt find its way under the walkway and into the front yard. I wouldnt mind it as a ground cover if the cute white flowers lasted all summer.

Rebecca · Answer

It's  hokotinia ! I love the smell of it.  It is invasive though but good ground cover for my yard on capecod. It's deep rooted so pull it  now  if you don't like it !

Rebecca · Answer

PlantFiles: Chameleon Plant 
Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon'
Sorry ! I completely messed up spelling- but I love it.

Barbara Sullivan · Answer

Stink's can't stand it & can't get rid it,,from 1-10 get's O

Lori Paximadis · Answer

Extremely invasive, as others have said. I've been trying to get rid of my patch for five years. You have to dig out ALL of the roots -- up to a foot or more deep. It spreads quickly by roots and by seeds (I sometimes find it halfway across the property from where the patch was), and it will spread under rocks and barriers. Get it out now, sift the soil to get every last bit of root, and be vigilant for pop-ups in the future.

April E · Answer

personally I like houttuynea it is aggressive but it also blocks weeds I do not want there are many larger plants that can grow in the same area case in point I have it planted with black and blue salvia and it looks great and yes u do have to pull it if it gets beyond where you want it but that is less than weeding a bed it is great as a erosion control also. so take this into consideration before just ripping it out a 'invasive' plant like a weed is in the eyes of the beholder if you like the plant and it is doing what you want and you don't mind a little thinning occasionally then keep it

Doris · Answer

Have this along one side of our drive, on the Ore. coast, it has not invaded anywhere else in 20+ years. Yes, odd smell. Also known as Blood Root, useful as a dye.

Elaine Williams · Answer

If the leaves turn red and yellowish ,variegated, cream color, green, it is very pretty. Very good ground cover. I love it. Kind of unusual. It does spread but I am glad.

Elaine Williams · Answer

It is called Houttuynia cordata can grow in water or damp area.

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Help! Is This a Weed or Flower??

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