Can anyone identify this weed?

hoodat

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I have this weed growing throughout the garden. It never gets more than six inches tall so I let it grow around my plants that have some size to them. It doesn't have a very competitive root system and the plants seem to like having it keep the ground moist and cool. The only place I've seeen it wild is in our San Diego river bottoms. It's kind of embarrasing when people ask me what it is and all I can do is mumble. :idunno

OOPs. Forgot the picture
6858_mulch_weed.jpg
 

patandchickens

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Scarlet pimpernel (yes, really :p), I believe it is Anagallis somethingorother?

Common nursery-plant weed, reseeds amply but IMO is never a real problem unless the color scheme bugs ya :)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat
 

hoodat

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patandchickens said:
Scarlet pimpernel (yes, really :p), I believe it is Anagallis somethingorother?

Common nursery-plant weed, reseeds amply but IMO is never a real problem unless the color scheme bugs ya :)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat
I thought that's what it might be but the pictures on the net show the flower as a darker red. Actully it's kind of attractive.
I remember in the book of that name he was called the scarlet pimpernel because he popped up everywhere and always came back..
 

patandchickens

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It really is scarlet pimpernel, absolutely 100% guaranteed.

IME the flowers are most often a sort of slightly-washed-out orangeish red, exactly as shown in your photo, and the leaves are exactly right.

Pat
 

hoodat

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Thanks again. It really is no problem. It makes a great living mulch. I was just curious as to what it was.
 

897tgigvib

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That's one pretty weed. Are there domesticated varieties of it?
 

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