Plants Sure Are Smart

[NJCher]

This spring, as I weed my beds, I notice imposters. They are weeds that look like a plant that I am cultivating. For example, I plant a lot of leeks, garlic, and onions in the fall. This year I have a weed that looks so much like garlic that it fooled me for a week or so. It grows right next to a real garlic or leek.

The interesting thing I've noted is not only is it smart for choosing to grow in a bed next to the leek or garlic, but it seems to choose the garlic or leek over the onion, which is growing in the same bed. (I have four raised beds full of onions, leeks, and garlic). This is interesting because the weed resembles the leek or the garlic more than it resembles the onion.

Thus it not only finds its way to the correct bed full of alliums, but it then discerns which is the best allium to disguise it!

Now for my question: does anyone know the name of this phenomenon? The name for the process by which a weed is able to choose a lookalike and thus preserve its chances of growing.

[MiHale]

1. Morphological Adaptation...

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Plant_Strategies/index.shtml

Above is the article that this one is distilled from

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Plant_Strategies/mimicry.shtml

Mimicry is the closest that I could find.

[NJCher]

2. thanks!

I've read them both. Now I'm trying to figure out which would be most likely in this situation.

I never thought of thinking it through from this angle.

[SharonClark]

3. Neither article supports your original post that implies weeds choose to grow near

wanted-plants in order to fool you. The articles are about pollination methods.

[NJCher]

4. right

did you read the part about when they go to seed?

also, I wanted to add that this is what I meant when I said I'd be re-thinking this from another angle.

I don't think you can say this poster provided me with a black and white answer, rather food for thought on how this process might occur.