Today I went spelunking a little farther back on the property and found two plants that I cannot identify. Can anyone help me? One of them appears to have berries so I am assuming it would be beneficial to some birds or other wildlife.
Annie
more strange plants on my property
The other one... sorry about the quality, I just had my cell phone camera with me.
Annie, the first one is Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. It's an invasive perennial difficult to remove once it's established and that doesn't take long. Seeds germinate easily. Berries are poisonous.
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph24.htm
There are hundreds of yellow daisy flowered wildflowers. Can you post photos of entire plant, leaves?
I have a few of the Pokeweed plants. They're not especially invasive here, although I've heard they are elsewhere. I've grown some for several years. If more come up from seed than I want, I just yank them while little. Yes, it's used by birds and wildlife as far as the berries...and even some people have eaten the foliage with proper precautions in how it's cooked; otherwise it could be toxic.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/576
I can not tell what the yellow one is either.
You guys amaze me! I appreciate you always helping me out! I took another picture with my better camera of the yellow one. Maybe this will help. One of the leaves and the other the whole plant.
Annie
And the whole plant.
Are the leaves rough? if so it is a plant of the sunflower family.
It looks like it could be this one, Woodland sunflower
http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEST
Just a quick look through UTs site on central Texas native plants leads me to believe that it might be a member of the genus Silphium
http://www.bio.utexas.edu/courses/bio406d/
A & M's database on the Asteraceae Family is quite extensive, although I have found that it is by no means complete:
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gallery_query?q=Asteraceae
It's possible that you second unknown is one of the following:
Silphium radula :
http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/ast/silphium_radula.htm
Silphium integrifolium:
http://www.missouriplants.com/Yellowopp/Silphium_integrifolium_page.html
S. gracile: (not as likely)
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SIGR4
S. perfoliatum:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1068/
Other sites:
http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2000/08/4.htm
http://www.hort.net/profile/ast/silpe/
http://bellnetweb.brc.tamus.edu/PrairiePlants.htm
The Asteraceae Family is a gigantic one. The greater percentage of them are yellow. You are in a better position to ID your unknow plant because you need to see certain features that are difficult to photograph. There are a number of books on Texas wildflowers. UT's and A & M's websites are excellent places to look. I have found that a large number of Missouri's wildflowers are also found in Texas. I have found it's the best site to help ID many Texas plants because each plant page includes photos of features that help ID the plant.
http://www.missouriplants.com/
If all else fails, take a sample down to the AgiLife (formerly Extension Cooperative Service) and ask them to ID it for you.
http://travis-tx.tamu.edu/