Evil plant for ID please

[Luna_Raine]

Hi, this plant is totally taking over my front garden. I tried posting a pic of it somewhere else last year, but no one could help. I have trawled the net for hours and hours, and I can find nothing even similar. My front garden is under three tonnes (not a lie, oh how I wish) of gravel. The previous owners thought gravel was great. And lots of planting. I have lost one quarter to euphorbia, and that is spreading. And this 'thing' is now over every inch. What is most striking, is that the seed pods, that come after the little flowers (which I THINK are yellow, I forgot to take a pic of it in flower last year), are black, and splay out in a star like shape. They explode so forcefully they sting your skin. It gets utterly smothered in them. In four years(we have been here 1 and a half), it has spread over an area of about 50ft by 25ft. From one planting point, in the corner. It has a solid intertwining mat of roots just on the surface, which sprout. Occasionally I find a tap root. I even found green leaves a couple of inches below the soil! Is that even possible?

Sorry to blather on, but it is actually quite depressing. It is taking so much hard work to remove the gravel with all the overgrown inappropriate plants. Then to find this everywhere, and it is growing back where I thought I had got it all. Within days! It is really heartbreaking to think I might not be able to be rid of it.

Therapy session over - oh, I am on the north cornish coast. It gets full sun, but does not seem to care. Growing beneath a dense mass of unwelcome, gravel ridden, grass. Both pics were taken last year, I have pics of it coming through now, but have not the software at the minute to shrink the size of image.





I really hope someone can help. Between this, the Euphorbia, Acanthus Mollis and the ladies mantle, I could napalm the *&#%@!$ lot!

Cheers,
Lorien

[willowjay]

I think it's a member of the pea family - clovers and trefoils and medicks - that sort of thing, but I can't say for sure which one. (However, an expert will be along shortly )

[Deb London]

Colutea arborescens? Anything like this (Google search required)?

[willowjay]

Me again - I've had a little search around and the nearest I can get is Hairy Birdsfoot Trefoil - Lotus subbiflorus. Try googling that one.

[Luna_Raine]

Thank you so much. Hairy birds foot it is! I don't suppose anyone experience getting rid of it. It is across the entire garden, through the stone walls too. I am going to do a big search on it later, but the advice I have seen so far doesn't cover the size of infestation I have. Also we cannot help but spread it in removing the gravel (trying to create a proper wildlife garden, pond etc). Is it worth reposting here for advice?

Thank you so much again. At. Least I have a starting point now!
Lorien

[Johnny81]

Lotus subbiflorus is quite a scarce plant found in the south of England, Wales, Ireland and Channels islands so I do not think it is that. Dorts or one of the other may give you a positive ID when they come on. Although reading again you live in the cornish coast....

[Johnny81]

Scrap that, rose states: 20mm narrow oval hairy leaves, stalks longer than leaves. Pods 6-12mm long. In the illustration they look splayed out and twirly. Flowers June-Aug. Sound similar?

[Hedera]

I would agree with L.subbiflorus, most of the medics and trefoil seedpods are curled up, not star-shaped like this. I would spray it with glyph. weedkiller now before it flowers again! Even if you hoe it off there will be dormant seeds, so you may have to spray more than once.

[Dorts]

I know this is not going to help Lorien and her 'evil' plant, but I don't think it's Hairy Bird's-foot Trefoil - Lotus subbiflorus.
That is a Nationally Scarce Plant and is an annual with hairy slender stems and leaves on stalks much longer than the leaves.

The leaves on Lorien's plant are sessile, the stems are not hairy and it would appear from her discription, to be perrenial.

I know this plant, but at the moment my mind is stuggling to recall its name, (happens as you get older). I'll continue to 'rack' the old grey matter and hopefully it will come to me.
In the meantime, I agree that it should be sprayed with a weedkiller suitable for perrenial weeds, making sure that any subsequent seedlings are also dealt with as this is probably the only way Lorien will regain her calm!
Dorts.

[Kayleigh]

The first thing to do is dont let it flower and spread any more seeds around then just keep pulling it up when you see new plants.
This way you will be able to control it.