Can you guys help ID plants?

[Miss M]

Can they eat any thistle? I'm a little 'blessed' in the thistle department

They should be able to eat most thistles. There are only a few of them that are toxic. It's likely that yours are fine, but you should go ahead and try to ID them just to be sure. I have thistles that look like ChickiesnBunnies' thistles, and others that grow a tall stalk and put out purple flowers (bull thistle, Cirsium vulgare http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/a ... istle.aspx ). They are probably both bull thistle, just before (rosette) and after sending up a flower stalk. I'm not positive they are the same, but I confess I have fed the low ones to my rabbits without a positive ID... with no problems.

The ones I've come up with as being toxic:
Yellow star thistle, Centaurea solstitialis http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/PLANT/WEEDS/p ... stle.shtml
Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense http://www.southeastweeds.org.au/index.pl?page=153
Russian Knapweed, Acroptilon repens (formerly Centaurea repens) not really a thistle, but looks similar, with no spines

ChickiesnBunnies' rosette looks like bull thistle to me, almost positively. While bull thistle looks similar to Canada thistle, the leaves on Canada thistle are somewhat irregular and ruffled. Now that I've looked into it more, I'd be very comfortable feeding that thistle in ChickiesnBunnies' picture to my rabbits. I'm even more sure now that all my thistles are bull thistles, just rosette stage and flowering stage.<br /><br />__________ Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:08 pm __________<br /><br />

:

...did you know that the artichoke is simply a very large thistle flower bud?

No, I did not-- but then, I have never seen one bloom!! Just Broccoli and cauliflower! I did now Capers are flowers, though..

I didn't know that about capers... but I did know that I don't particularly like them. :lol:

 

[Secuono]

Yea, they are all the same, I may have some of the bigger plants still around, but there is another plant w/the same purple flowers out in the field...

I keep forgetting the Dock is safe, it's just so ugly and unsafe looking..lol.

 

[Jana15]

#6 Sort of look like Violet leaves, but im not positive. We have a patch growing in our yard. Does anyone know if they are safe to eat for buns?

 

[Secuono]

The unknown plant that no animals eat, my dogs were eating it yesterday...

 

[Miss M]

#6 Sort of look like Violet leaves, but im not positive. We have a patch growing in our yard. Does anyone know if they are safe to eat for buns?

#6 is not violet - I have violet and I have this weed as well... Violet leaves are safe for buns, but no other part of the plant. Violet leaves are safe for people, too, but I think we can eat the flowers, too. :chef:

What is frustrating is that I think I had an ID on this plant, but I can't find the ID now, and I :chair: :bash: :annihilate: deleted the pics from photobucket and my computer. That'll teach me to be efficient! :angry:

 

[Jana15]

I'm glad violet leaves are safe, we have about ten huge patches of them in the yard, and just earlier I was thinking how good it would be if buns could eat them

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Number 4 is a first year Buttercup plant... I don't think its good to feed.

 

[BlackBunny]

My guess on id's I'm not sure about rabbit safty
1. California poppy or queen's ann lace
2. Dock and/or curly dock, I have lots
3. Common plantain
4. Buttercup, not safe
5. Henbit if it dosn't smell nice, catnip or maybe lemonbalm if it does
6. no idea
7. Ribwort plantain
8. Bull thistle
9. Lady's thumb

Hope this helps, I have so much Dock in my yard and I always think its on the do not eat list so happy to know I can let the bunnies kill it.

 

[MaggieJ]

Dock is great when it is young, but avoid feeding it after the flower stalk shoots up. It becomes less safe and less palatable as the season progresses.

 

[Secuono]

Never seen stalks come out of the Dock. Been feeding it all this time, ducks finally killed off the majority of it.

 

[MaggieJ]

The picture at this site shows the flower/seed stalks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_crispus