Hi FlowerPwr, Oh so cool!! Thanks for the link! I’ll give it a try! Happy Trails to you!

You can download the 2012 version of Weakley’s flora (about 5 minutes) and get a high powered lens or microscope if you want to key it to species. Probably not an easy task. It says canadensis is a “common” species. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm

Hi FlowerPwr, Thanks for your helpful comments! I would love to know the particular Sanicula species; perhaps I could utilize its medicinal attributes? 🙂 On the other hand, maybe I should pull the few plants that have popped up before they become too comfortable and invasive. There are a few others around already. Happy Gardening!

Sanicula (canadensis?)is common in my woods and woods edge. It seeds around. I am not fond of it because I believe the bristly seeds stick to pant legs and pet fur. Not my worst weed by a long shot (at least it is a S.E. native) but I pull up a lot of plants and it still manages to remain on my 10 acres. Friend or Foe? “The genus name … is derived from the Latin sanare (to heal), which refers to its once-reputed medicinal powers.” So it depends: “You like tomato and I like tomahto”. I would not recommend eating it.

Hi Metrosideros! Oops, I don’t see my post back to you yet. Yikes! I don’t know what the flowers look like yet. There are some tiny flower heads on top, but they may not get much bigger. So, maybe not Beggar’s Tick, although I enjoyed investigating that one, too! Thank you for your help!

Hi Stone! Thank you for your reply. Yes, it does look like a member of the Sanicula family!! Good to know! I think I’ll keep it for now, because it’s kinda cute. Saved from the yard grave. Thanks for your time!

Hi Metrosideros, Yikes! I haven’t seen the fully-developed flowers yet, but there are some tiny flowerets at the top–maybe that’s the extent of it! So, maybe not the Beggar’s Tick. Thank you for your input!

Sanicula http://stonethegardener.tumblr.com/tagged/sanicula Doesn’t really do much more than you’ve observed. Those spikey little seedballs look like they’d be problematic, but… they’re no big deal. When it’s happy, sanicula will reproduce, but I’ve never seen it get particularly weedy… I thin as required, while keeping one or two as specimen plants.

What do the flowers look like? Maybe a Bidens, Beggar’s Tick. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidens