I'm having a hard time identifying this plant growing in back of my shop along the Mississippi River. There are several growing in this area. Any help would be appreciated !
Uncle Dave

What color flowers does it produce?
I wish I could id it for you. And I wish this forum had more traffic. I love learning about plants from the experts that post on this part of the board.

Thanks for the reply gryhkl - I'm waiting for these little green buds on top to open so I can see what type/color of flower it produces and when that happens I'll post another photo.
I agree about the "more traffic". All of my grandkids are into the outdoors and love identifying mushrooms/prairie grasses/flowers/plants/trees so last year I decided to identify all of them on my property. We take photos and label with a brief description. It amazes me how many different edible mushrooms grow around here. That's a whole nother story !
I'll post more photos and anything I learn on this plant later.
Thanks-
Uncle Dave

Dave, Gryhki is right, wait until the flowers are in full bloom and their color is apparent. Take a few photos of the flowers very close up, then a little farther back, and then farther back still. The close-ups will reveal the shape and structure of the blossoms, which is very important for identification. Pull or dig up a plant and clean off the dirt and take a good photo of the root system. How tall is the plant in full bloom? Also, lift the camera and photograph the surrounding area. Is the area wetland, dryland, meadow, forest? How far from the Mississippi River or other body of water is it? Which county are you in? Which part of the county?

Go online, search for Iowa Flora, click first on "Iowa and its Flora - University of Iowa Press Digital Editions", and see what you can find.

Yours, Pa Bro

If you have a smart phone you could download this free app. It seems to be pretty good at identifying plants and leaves around my house. https://www.picturethisai.com/

Hello Daves Decoys,

I think that plant belongs to the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). I think the little green buds on top are actually the fruit. Many species of the spurge family have very inconspicuous flowers and it may have already bloomed.

We have a plant down here that is locally called toothed spurge (Euphorbia dentata) that looks very similar to your plant, but your plant may be a different local variety/eco-type. Another plant (in the same family) that looks similar is called David's spurge (Euphorbia davidii).

Members of the spurge family are known to have milky sap and usually a three-sided fruit. Check for a milky sap and look closely to see if the fruit is 3-parted. If so, you might do a google search of images and see if that is indeed what you have growing.

Chancey

WOW ! That's it Chancey ! Last year I waited for the little green buds to bloom and they never did so now I know why. I've looked at different photos and info on spurge and it does have a milky inside so I'm pretty sure it's David's Spurge; if not, I'll call it David's Spurge anyhow because my name is David and it's in my back yard
My grandkids are going to be very excited when they hear this Chancey - you made our day ! and thanks to everyone else for helping !

Uncle Dave

I took a screenshot of your picture and ran it through that link I put up above. It too came back as spurge/green poinsettia or toothed spurge.

Great news Dave! I think the name is very fitting and the grandkiddos will get a kick out of that!!

The plant is pretty common down here, but I think it is spreading into ya'lls area in the mid-west. See the link below from Missouri. I worked in Des Moines county, IA for several seasons and I never recall seeing them in the soybean fields or foodplots.

That seems like a very handy app Pasadena! Thanks for sharing, I downloaded it just now. Chancey

https://ipm.missouri.edu/IPCM/2014/7/Weed-of-the-Month-Toothed-Spurge/

My daughter and grandkiddos did get a big kick out of the name !
Thanks to you and Pasadena for the link because I learned the milky sap is poisonous and causes blisters to humans. I've had poison ivy and wild parsnip blisters and this plant doesn't seem to have any benefits like wildcraft, eat, deco or use for camo mat'l, etc.. so I believe I'll send this stuff to Hades ! Very happy I finally know what it is.

Thanks - Uncle Dave