Most Common Weeds and Wild Grasses in Karnataka, India

 Weeds are plants in the wrong place. They are unwanted in human-controlled settings, such as farm fields and gardens. Interestingly, a weed in one context is not a weed in another context. Many plants that people widely regard as weeds also are intentionally grown in gardens and other cultivated settings, in which case they are sometimes called beneficial weeds. 

Walking around in urban gardens and country roads, I am surprised by mainly by the beauty of many plants and flowers we call as weeds, secondly I am taken aback by the survival instinct and resilience of such plants. With nobody caring for they still grow in due session and flower and propagate. At times we find them growing even through cracks in the concrete and stones. The utilitarian humanity often do not care about plants and flowers that are not profitable. 

As I walked along I photographed them. In photographs they get an identity and show forth their real beauty. Knowing a plant by its name is like knowing a person by his/her name. Next time we see them we feel related and close. And, of course, we would think twice before destroying them purposelessly. 

Boerhavia Diffusa is commonly known as punarnava, red spiderling, spreading hogweed, or tarvine. It is taken in herbal medicine for pain relief and other uses. The leaves of Boerhaavia diffusa are often used as a green vegetable in many parts of India.

Boerhavia Diffusa

Bidens alba is most commonly known as shepherd's needles, beggarticks, Spanish needles or butterfly needles. Bidens means two- toothed, perhaps refering to the lose flower petals.

Bidens Alba

Nut grass (Cyperus rotundus) commonly known as Coco grass, java grass, red nut sedge and purple nut sedge is a perennial plant native to Africa, Southern and Central Europe, and Southern Asia. 

Nut grass

Solanum viarum, or tropical soda apple, is a perennial shrub with a prickly stem and prickly leaves. The fruit is golf-ball-sized with the coloration of a watermelon. 

Tropical Soda Apple

Pink woodsorrel (Oxalis debilis), the large-flowered pink-sorrel, is a perennial plant seen in all continents except Antarctica.

Pink Woodsorrel

Yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta), common yellow oxalis, upright yellow-sorrel, lemon clover, or more ambiguously and informally, sourgrass, sheep weed, pickle plant, tends to grow in woodlands, meadows, and in disturbed areas as both a perennial and annual.

Yellow Woodsorrel

Insulin plant, Costus igneus, also known as Step ladder, Spiral flag, is found primarily in tropical climates. This plant can be found growing densely in the gardens of Southern India, where has received the nickname ‘Insulin Plant’. Consumption of the leaves are believed to lower blood glucose levels.

Insulin plant

Ponnanganni in Tamil, Honnagone in Kannada, Dwarf copperleaf (Alternanthera sessilis) is a common invasive plant ion tropical areas. It is also used as a vegetable specially in some Asian countries.

Dwarf copperleaf

Arrowleaf sida,Sida rhombifolia, also known as jelly leaf, is used in Ayurvedic medicine, where it is known as kurumthotti.

Arrowleaf sida

Bell Weed is a herb, with stems rooted at the nodes. Flowers occur solitary in the leaf axils. Flowers are generally violet blue. 

Bell Weed flower

Asiatic Dayflower

Bonebract

Boerhavia erecta

Bluestem grass

Bermuda grass

Buttercup bush

Castor oil plant

Wild chilli

Coat buttons flowers

Coco grass

Crowfoot grass

Duranta

Dwarf reed grass

Ebolo

Ficus pumila

Goat weed

Goosegrass

Groundsel

Indian grass

Jungle rice

Justicia neesii pink

Justicia neesii white

Little ironweed

Mexican mint

Mimosa pudica

Mustard 

Obscure morning glory

Pantropical weed

Pink muhly

Parthenium

Passion flower

Pickly sow thistle

Prickly amaranth

Purpletop Rhodes grass

Rain lilies yellow

Red passion flower

Richardia weed

Slender amaranth

Spider grass 

Straggler daisy

Surinam spinach

Vernonia cinerea

White hyacinth beans

White water sedge

Wild poinsettia

Windmill grass

Winter gourd

Four o'clock flower

Umbrella papyrus

Sword beans