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How to Identify Purple Flower Weeds
How to Identify Purple Flower Weeds. Lawns and meadows are havens for weeds, but not all weeds are unattractive. Unless you have other plants in the area that will suffer with weeds present, you might actually prefer to keep purple flowering weeds on your lawn. If you'd rather keep your lawn weed-free, however, identifying the weeds is the first...
Lawns and meadows are havens for weeds, but not all weeds are unattractive. Unless you have other plants in the area that will suffer with weeds present, you might actually prefer to keep purple flowering weeds on your lawn. If you'd rather keep your lawn weed-free, however, identifying the weeds is the first step to determining how best to get rid of them. Foliage, stems, flowers and even scent are all identifying factors of purple flowering weeds.
Step 1
Examine the flowers on the weeds. Look at the number of petals, the shade of purple and the general shape and texture of the flower. If there are five petals, several stamens and the flower has a deep purple center with cream or yellow colored edges, it is most likely a wild violet. Chicory's blooms have a multitude of petals, serrated tips and are a blue-purple shade. Creeping speedwell blooms have four petals that are deep purple or blue and fade to a cream color toward the center of the bloom.
Step 2
Examine the foliage. The leaves on wild violets are shiny, almost waxy, and are shaped like hearts that cup at the tips to create a funnel-like effect. Chicory leaves are 6 to 8 inches long with coarse, serrated edges. Creeping speedwell has round, wavy-edged leaves. Ground ivy's leaves are unique; they are round with scalloped edges and smell of mint when disturbed or smashed.
Step 3
Inspect the stems of your weeds for identifiers. Chicory stems are thick, don't branch out and have very little foliage. Ground ivy and creeping speedwell both have stolons, which are stems that grow above the ground, and are thin. Wild violet stems are short and thin.
Step 4
Study the location and growth patterns of the weeds. Wild violets like moist, shady spots, grow low to the ground and have a tendency to grow in tightly grouped clumps. Creeping speedwell also prefers shade and moisture, but grows like most ground cover with a wide spread. Chicory thrives in dry, sunny spots but tends not to grow in tight groups, but multiple plants may grow in close proximity to one another. Ground ivy, as its name implies, acts like a ground cover. It thrives in most conditions, but prefers sunlight and moisture.
