Rural School Leaflet 



937 



It was also 

 by the early 



SOME COMMON WEEDS 

 Paul J. White 



Purslane, cr " pusley.'' — This weed is very common, especially in the 

 rich soils of gardens. It is a sprawling plant, growing flat on the ground. 

 The leaves are thick, fleshy, and dark green in color; the stems are reddish; 

 the blossoms are small and yellow, are about one fourth inch across, and 

 appear at the ends of the prostrate branches about the first of July. The 

 plant continues to blossom and ripen seeds until frost. 



Purslane is closely related to our common garden portulaca; in fact, it 

 is sometimes called wild portulaca. It is one of the common weeds that 

 have been introduced from abroad, and is a native of the tropics. This 

 weed is not entirely devoid of good qualities. The writer well remembers 

 gathering it for pigs in the early 

 days of Kansas, 

 used for greens 

 settlers. 



It is very difficult to destroy 

 purslane. Like most plants having 

 thick, fleshy leaves, it dies hard. 

 Plants that are cut off with the 

 hoe may live for weeks and even 

 ripen seeds. Also, they some- 

 times take root again if the 

 ground is loose and moist. If 

 the plants have begun to blossom, 

 it is safer to cut them with 

 a sharp hoe and remove them from the garden. 



Bindweed. — One of the very worst weeds in the State is the^bindweed. 

 It is not so common as some other weeds, but when it gets into a field or 

 garden it is next to impossible to get it out. 



Bindweed is sometimes called wild morning-glory. The pink blossoms 

 are smaller than those of the cultivated morning-glory. The weed has 

 a twining habit and when it is abundant it winds around other plants and 

 smothers them. It increases both by seeds and by underground stems. 

 The smallest part of the creeping root is sufficient to start a new plant. 



This pest appears most often in rich fields and gardens. It will spread 

 in a circle from a single plant until the whole garden is infested. Many 

 ways of destroying it have been tried, the most of which have been unsuc- 

 cessful. The only sure way to destroy it is to cut the plants off as fast 

 as they appear. Any kind of plant may be killed if it is not permitted 



37 



Purslane {" pusley") 



