” spreading like a terrorist sleeper cell” EXACTLY like that. Never saw it before this year. We have a wooded back yard with a lot of ivy, and it is even beating out the ivy! It is very fast growing and spreading. It does have small blooms. I just want to know how to get rid of it. It isn’t super hard to pull up, but to keep up with it, I would have to spend hours per day!

I have this – it can get quite tall near the creek in my back yard, but I have yet to see any blooms on it. I would like to get rid of it, but don’t want to kill the grass that is underneath it by spraying.

The picture is a little misleading. A plant I’ve been watching is now about 24 – 30 inches tall. I would call it a sprawling growth habit. Mine is blooming at this time also. It did not bloom last year. Look closely and you will probably see a few of the small loments or segmented seed pods. Just google loment and you will find several examples of what you’re looking for.

Leaf shape is similar but this looks like a stronger stalk. I’d hate to think mine will get this branch-like. I think the flowers are a similar shape though.

I’m thinking a desmodium. Grass-leaf Tick Trefoil (Desmodium gramineum) or (Desmodium paniculatum). No terrorist sleeper cell… stilt-grass (Microstegium vimineum), and basket-grass (Oplismenus hirtellus ) don’t have nice legume-type blooms. While desmodiums have those beggar-lice seedpods, they are actually valuable members of the plant community, and are not considered invasive.

This could be another “lomentous” occasion here Walter! http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/desmodiumsess.html

I’ve never noticed this type bloom on stilt grass. Does you terrorist look like this http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2004/08/31/melody/18abcc.jpg ?