Sprinkling the highways and byways of The Times and Democrat Region are a variety of unusual wildflowers, weeds and other exotic plants. Often, these jewels are overlooked or ignored by busy, preoccupied travelers.

Several of the plants identified in this article actually fall into both categories. Although officially classified as wildflowers, they are considered annoying weeds by farmers, turf managers and gardeners because of their persistent invasion of cultivated areas.

For example, the Oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) has been described as one of these love-hate wildflowers. A perennial, it returns every spring from the same root and often forms dense colonies once established. The flowers are white with yellow centers and supported by stems up to two feet above the plant. The leaves are thick and leathery. While indigenous to Europe, Oxeye daisy has spread to all 50 states and Canada.

Moss verbena (Verbena tenuisecta) is an extremely drought tolerant wildflower often seen growing through the pavement and cracks in sidewalks. It is a desert species originating in South America and thrives in dry, arid soil. Moss verbena is a low-growing perennial, rarely reaching over 18 inches. The small flowers vary from purple to a deep violet and bloom from March to July.

With flower clusters that form a flat white or pale lilac top fixed to a single stem, yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is an herb. It is extremely drought tolerant and has fine, feathery foliage that resembles a fern. In ancient times, yarrow was known as herba militaris, the military herb, and was used to make tea and to heal wounds. In the story of the Trojan War, the Greek hero Achilles used yarrow to stop the bleeding wounds of his soldiers. This legend resulted in the plant's genus name, Achillea.

During the Middle Ages, yarrow was also called devil's nettle and used for divination in spells.

Although it looks like a daisy, rough fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) is classified as a weed in the Clemson Extension Service publication "Weeds of Southern Turfgrass." Rough fleabane, also known as daisy fleabane and white-tops, occurs throughout the U.S., except in Arizona. It is a composite flower, having small white flowers that surround yellow disk flowers, and blooms in early spring. Leaves are elliptical in shape and usually absent when the plant flowers.

Native Americans used rough fleabane to make tea and as a medicine for rheumatism, sore mouths and other ailments.

Morgan Judy, Orangeburg County Horticulture Extension agent, assists area residents in identifying plants. She said a helpful resource for anyone wanting to identify troublesome plants is "Weeds of Southern Turfgrass."

"Anytime someone brings a weed in, that's what I pull out," she said.

Judy said the beginning of spring is a very busy time for her, as people want to identify troublesome plants and find the best way to get rid of them.

"To me, the Plantago wrightiana looks like the most interesting weed I've seen," she said. "It was very unique, how it looked. The seed heads were just coming out. A man had it growing in his pasture. We didn't recommend any herbicides because he had animals, so he decided just to leave the pasture as it was."

Here a few other weeds and wildflowers spotted in the region:

* The ubiquitous dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a deeply taprooted, stemless perennial. Slightly notched leaves are at the base of the plant, and each long, smooth, hollow stem produces a single yellow flower. The brown seeds have long stalks with a parachute of white hairs and replace the bloom with a "globe." In addition to reproducing by seed, dandelions can also form new plants from fragments of broken taproots. This helps to explain why they are so difficult to control in lawns and other cultivated areas.

Dandelion flowers are more conspicuous in early summer but may be found in bloom almost any time throughout the year. This is what makes dandelions so important to beekeepers and honey producers -- they furnish pollen and nectar for the bees after fruit trees have finished blooming, often providing food for the bees until well into the autumn. In addition, over 90 kinds of other insects are known to frequent dandelion blossoms.

When broken, dandelion leaves and flower stalks produce a milky juice. Dandelions are not poisonous, and in earlier times, medicines were made from the juice of the root. Dandelion leaves have been eaten in salads, coffee can be made from the roots, and wine and beer can be made from the flowers.

The name dandelion comes from the French "Dent de Lion," or "tooth of the lion," and describes the jagged edges of the leaves.

* Like dandelions, dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) seems to be everywhere. It is a tall-growing, aggressive native perennial. It has one or more dense, hairy stems, with leaves that are deeply cut into linear segments. The leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed. A member of the aster family, it reproduces from seeds or from a woody base.

Dog fennel can be an annoyance to farmers and ranchers, as the leaves contain low levels of the toxin tremitol, which can cause dehydration in cattle.

* Buckhorn plantain (Plantago lanceolata) originated in Eurasia and now occurs in all climates except for the sub-Arctic. A common weed, it is highly resistant to drought and flowers from June through September. A dense, tapered, white or tan flower spike forms at the end of a leafless, hairy stalk. When growing without competition, a single plant can produce more than 30 flower spikes and 10,000 seeds in a single growing season.

Buckhorn plantain is not known to be toxic but may affect hay fever sufferers. In folklore medicine, the crushed leaves were used to treat insect bites, and the seeds were used to treat constipation. The seeds contain an unusually high percentage of oil and are grown commercially for birdseed.

* The scientific name for red sorrel, also called sheep sorrel, sourgrass and Indian cane, is Rumex acetosella. Freshly matured seeds can germinate in three to four weeks, but buried seeds have been known to remain viable for up to 20 years.

Red sorrel, a perennial with smooth, four-sided stems, is not known to be poisonous and in some areas is eaten as a pot herb or green. However, it does contain oxalic acid, which can be toxic to livestock if consumed in quantity. The seeds are said to be poisonous to horses and sheep.

Most of the red sorrel's leaves are at the base, and the flowers, which are green and turn to red at maturity, form in clusters at the ends of stems. This plant produces a large, yellow taproot and spreads from the sprouts of numerous rhizomes and roots. It reproduces by seed.

In the past, preparations made from red sorrel were used to treat urinary and bladder diseases, and Native Americans used it as an antidote for poison.

* Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) was introduced to the U.S. in New York as an ornamental in 1806. It was not until 1898 that it was realized this non-native honeysuckle had spread to become a ubiquitous and noxious weed that strangles other plants on which it grows. Japanese honeysuckle has small white or yellow flowers that are extremely fragrant and fast growing. It blooms from April through July, and the fruits begin to ripen in September.

* Another member of the honeysuckle family and a native to North America is the American elder, or elderberry, also called Sambucus canadensis. This native shrub can reach a height of 10 feet or more and flowers in June and July. Its berries can be collected from August to October and are used to make jam, jelly, pies and wine. Berries that have been dried or cooked are not harmful, but other parts of the plant are toxic.

"Sambucus" is derived from a word for an ancient musical instrument and refers to elder stems. They can be easily hollowed out and made into flutes and whistles. In earlier times, the bark and roots were used for tanning leather.

While these identifications are a pretty good start, Judy said the Clemson Extension office, located at 1550 Henley St. in Orangeburg, has several publications available for those seeking more information. The office can also be reached at 803-534-6280.

"Something else I recommend is to go to hgic.clemson.edu," she said. "You can find fact sheets on almost any home and garden problem. They also have links to photos of plants and insects."

T&D Correspondent Loretta Demko can be reached by e-mail at eeshtenem@yahoo.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com. Plants described in this article were identified by Morgan Judy and Dr. John Nelson, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina who is associated with the A.C. Moore Herbarium. Additionally, the following Web sites were used: www.wildflowerinformation.org, www.heftyseed.com, www.lucidcentral.org, www.botanical.com, www.oardc.ohio-state.edu, www.museum.org.za, www.infoplease.com, home.earthlink.net and www.epa.gov.

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