Plant identification: do you know what this is?

This plant is about 2-3 ft. wide and tall and starting growing in my backyard in Georgia, zone 7, USA this summer. It looks edible but I'd like to know for sure what it is before I try eating some. I may have planted it myself since I took some old seeds of a wide variety and just threw them around in a bare area of my yard. On the other hand, I had some nice surprises as well as some weeds with the process.
Close up of mystery plant
Wider angle view of mystery plant
  15 answers
  • Maria Torres Maria Torres on Nov 29, 2015
    It looks like Nombre Cientƭfico: Rumex Acetosa. Familia: PoligonƔceas (Polygonaceae). Nombres Vulgares: Lengua de vaca : Caesalpinia coriana Willd. Rumex Acetosa. Rumex Crispus.
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Nov 29, 2015
    google this image and see if you think this is it. Rumex crispus.
  • Barbara Barbara on Nov 29, 2015
    Might be horseradish.
  • Holly Holly on Nov 29, 2015
    It is horseradish.It's growing in my back yard too.
  • Lu Lu on Nov 29, 2015
    Looks like horseradish. Should be controlled or contained to one area or it tends to come up all over. But homemade horseradish is the best.
  • Teo Teo on Nov 29, 2015
    Ced ca este STEVIE o planta de la care se mananca frunzele puse in ciorba
  • Krissy Krissy on Nov 29, 2015
    It's horseradish , spreads fast & the roots go REALLY deep. Hard to get rid of , I dug down as far as I could sawed the plant roots off & drowned it with grass & weed killer . It worked
  • L_j2622658 L_j2622658 on Nov 29, 2015
    Why not take a picture to your local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service office? Will be an office in each county in the state. Not only will they definitively identify it, but also be able to tell you how to get rid of it, if it is an invasive weed as other readers are suggesting.
  • DORLIS DORLIS on Nov 29, 2015
    Looks more like curly dock which also spreads like crazy. It is good to eat, cooked with other greens like turnip tops, mustard, etc. But if you do not want a whole yard of it, cut back flower/seed heads before they ripen.
  • Dot D Collett Dot D Collett on Nov 29, 2015
    Look up horse radish, think the blooms are white. It is in the mustard family. Curley dock will bloom on a tall heavy stem, green first, then turn a beautiful brown. You may have seen it in fall dried arrangements. Beware, each plant has thousands of seeds that are viable for 90 years. Every time you dig, plow, or pull a weed you will pull seeds up from below the 3" germination zone.
  • Susan Sendelbach Susan Sendelbach on Nov 29, 2015
    You folks are amazing! My County Extension agent said it is curly dock. The photos for curly dock and horseradish are almost identical. I will watch for it to bloom next year and see which one it is. Meanwhile, it looks like it is good to eat. Thank you!
  • Beth Holmes Beth Holmes on Jun 21, 2016
    Horseradish. Spreads like wildfire! I have some in my garden.
  • Katy Bowss Katy Bowss on Jun 21, 2016
    It is curly dock.
  • Deb K Deb K on Mar 12, 2023

    Hello, it's rumex or Dock weed. commonly used by traditional healers for treatment of various diseases and correction of disorders such as gastrointestinal tract disorders, antihelminthic diseases, anti-inflammatory, and arthritis, and it is also used as laxative, antipyretic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial.

  • Mogie Mogie on Mar 13, 2023

    Looks like a weed to me.