Urban Plants

Please note that this is a partial guide listing several of the most common urban ground plants. This is not comprehensive, and you may find plants in your plot that are not in the guide.

Turf Grass

Turf grass is the grass that we plant for our lawns. There are many different kinds of turf grass, but they generally have smooth, flat leaves.

Photo by Shadowmeld Photography (Wikimedia).

Crabgrass

Like turf grass, there are many kinds of crabgrass. Crabgrasses have sprawling, hairy shoots and leaves and they grow in dense patches.

Photo by Richard Arthur Norton (Wikimedia).

Plantain

Plantains are a group of plants with broad leaves near the ground and tall stalks with tiny flowers on them. Plantain leaves have several ridges that go from the base of the leaf to the tip.

Photo from Wikimedia.

Chickweed

Chickweed sprawls out along the ground as it grows. Chickweed has small leaves that grow in pairs and its tiny white flowers grow next to the leaves during the summer.

Photo by Melissa McMasters (Wikimedia).

Sorrel

Sorrel looks like a three-leafed clover with heart-shaped leaves. The flowers are bright yellow and very fragile.

Photo by MathKnight and Zachi Evenor (Wikimedia).

Clover

Clovers are a very common plant to find growing in lawns. They have three leaves, sometimes with a white mark on them, and have white or purple-red flowers.

Photo from Wikimedia.

Dandelion

Dandelions have large leaves with many indents and points along them. The leaves grow near the ground and the big yellow flowers grow on long stalks. Dandelion flowers turn into puffballs after they mature.

Photo by Aneth David (Wikimedia).

Creeping Charlie

Creeping Charlie spreads out across the ground and can spread very quickly. It has a square stem, round leaves with bumpy edges, and purple flowers that bloom in the spring. The leaves will stay green all year long.

Photo by Melissa McMasters (Wikimedia).

Violet

Violets are pretty plants that make bright bluish-purple flowers in the spring. Their leaves look like hearts with toothed edges.

Photo by Jessica Bolser/USFWS (Wikimedia).

Thistle

There are several different kinds of thistle, some tall and some short. However, they all have tiny spines on the leaves and stem.

Photo by Homer Edward Price (Wikimedia).

Purslane

Purslane is a sprawling plant with thick leaves. The stem is usually reddish and the leaves grow in sets of four.

Photo by Robert Flogaus-Faust (Wikimedia).

Dock

The name "dock" is used for several common plants. They all have large leaves with slightly wavy edges.

Photo by Thayne Tuason (Wikimedia).

Milkweed

Milkweed is a tall plant with large oval leaves. When the leaves are broken, they release a sticky, milky liquid. Milkweed is the only plant that Monarch butterfly caterpillars can eat.

Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Canada license. Photo from Wikimedia.

Nutsedge

Nutsedge looks a lot like grass, but it has leaves that grow in groups of three. The stem is also triangular instead of round.

Photo by Homer Edward Price (Wikimedia).

Dwarf Snapdragon

These tiny flowers are very hardy and can grow in lawns, sandy areas, and even parking lots. Dwarf snapdragons have very unique flowers that appear in the spring and early summer.

Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Photo from Wikimedia.

Doorweed

Doorweed is a plant that sprawls out along the ground. It has pointed leaves and a stem that looks like it has knots where the leaves grow.

Photo by Sanja565658 (Wikimedia).

Bindweed

Bindweed is a vine that grows along the ground or climbs up plants and fences. It has arrow-shaped leaves and big, trumpet-shaped flowers.

Photo by Ann Harrison / Field Bindweed / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia).

Lamb's Quarters

Lamb's quarters is a spring and summer plant. It has toothed leaves and a reddish-green stem. The young leaves feel soft and fuzzy.

Photo by Rasbak and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (Wikimedia).

Ragweed

Ragweed is a common plant in yards and sidewalk cracks. Ragweed leaves look like they have been cut into thin strips.

Photo by Geoff Gallice (Wikimedia).

All photos licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license unless otherwise specified.