Weed Definition

[Birchy]

A weed is officially a 'wild plant growing where it isn't wanted', so could a rose or a daffodil be considered weeds if they haven't been deliberately planted?

[Toglet]

A weed is a herbaceous plant "not valued for use or beauty, growing wild and rank, and regarded as cumbering the ground or hindering the growth of superior vegetation" (OED), so I doubt if roses or daffodils would be classed as weeds (unless you particularly dislike roses or daffodils!)

[bernardo]

According to your definition, a plant which is growing where it *is* wanted would be a non-weed. But the fact that it is growing where it is wanted does not necessarily mean that it was deliberately planted there; it could just be a fortuitous happenstance on the part of the seed. So no, not necessarily.

[robber1]

Weeds usually spread by their seed either by the wind or by birds and that is why they end up in places where they are not wanted.Roses and daffodils cannot be spread in this way.They are normally planted deliberately and only spread by their natural habit.Therefore they cannot be classed as a weed.

[answerbok]

I sawed down a rosebush 3 week ago to a stump as it was in the way and i hate the thorns; Blimey, it's already grown back to 2 feet high and has 5 roses. Call me weird, but i like dandelions 'dent de lion' more than many 'real' flowers; the deep pretty yellow petals, the soft wispy 'clocks', the lionstooth shape of the leaves, the fact that the milk in the stem is medicinal, and where would burdock without its dandelion? So if i encourage them to grow in certain parts of my garden by helping disperse the seed, even at the expense of those nasty sharp pointy thorned boring rose bushes, and trim them back from other areas, then surely the rose is the weed here and not my dandelions.

[robber1]

answerbok?I think its time for your medication again.Open wide...there, thats better.

[answerbankin]

weed is the best

[football]

A rose or a daffodil in a corn field would be weeds. They would be in places that they are not wanted.

[dave_in_cw]

Answerbankin, I'm with you (I think). But it is a pity we call something with such proven medicinal and recreatiional qualities "weed"!

[robber1]

Rose and daffodils usually do not "just appear in a corn field".As I stated earlier, seed is disributed by wind or bird and therefore daffodils especially and probably roses will only grow (and spread) where they are planted. Weeds just turn up anywhere, by the means I have just stated.

[answerbankin]

thats true dave