This document discusses several winter annual broadleaf weeds that are common in wheat and barley fields. It provides descriptions and photographs of the leaves of bushy wallflower or treacle mustard, cutleaf evening primrose, prickly lettuce, marestail, shepherd's-purse, and flixweed to help with identification. Proper identification of weed species is important for determining the appropriate herbicide to use for control.

1. Winter broadleaf
look-a-like weeds
Joe Armstrong
Small Grains Weed Science Extension Specialist

2. Winter broadleaf
look-a-like weeds
Many winter annual broadleaf weeds
have rosette growth habits in the fall,
winter, and early spring and look very
similar to one another.
As with grass weeds, proper identification
of the weed is the first step in choosing
the appropriate herbicide.

3. Leaf margins have
very deep lobes
bushy wallflower or
treacle mustard

4. bushy wallflower or
treacle mustard
Once the plant bolts, the
margins of the upper leaves
look like a bread knife

5. Seedlings will often have
small red spots on the leaves
cutleaf evening primrose

6. cutleaf evening primrose
Leaves have a smooth,
leathery appearance and
remain very flat to the ground

7. Leaves have several small
serrations along margin
prickly lettuce

8. Leaves contain
a milky sap
Can be easily identified by
the row of spines along the
bottom of the leaf
prickly lettuce

9. Leaves typically have
rounded tips and several
coarse hairs
marestail

10. marestail
Leaves also have several
small, shallow lobes

11. Most plants have leaves
with very deep lobes
shepherd’s-purse

12. shepherd’s-purse
However, the shapes of the
leaves can vary widely
among individual plants

13. flixweed
Leaflets are very finely
lobed and typically have a
gray or blue color

14. All photos, unless noted, were
taken by Joe Armstrong.
If you would like high resolution
versions of these photographs,
please contact Joe at
joe.armstrong@okstate.edu.