Pastureland Plants
On this page, Amazing Grazing features a list of pastureland plants, including information about the positive and negative aspects of each. (Yes, weeds have positive qualities, too.) We will populate the page over time, beginning with some of the plants that are most challenging to and prevalent in pasturelands.
We’ll start with those generally considered detrimental to quality pasture and eventually cover beneficial plants as well. We hope to also offer suggestions for control, should the negatives outweigh the positives. There is an introduction to plants. We’d ask you to begin here. It may assist you in understanding some of the terminology used in our articles. We hope you find this information helpful!
| Common name | Season/ persistence | Legume | Native | Forage use | Toxicity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitter sneezeweed | Warm/ annual | X | none | X | |
| Dock, broadleaf | Cool/ perennial | none | X | ||
| Dock, curly | Cool/ perennial | none | X | ||
| Dog fennel | Warm/ perennial | X | none | X | |
| Golden rod | Warm/ perennial | X | none | 0 | |
| Hemlock, poison | Biennial or perennial | none | X | ||
| Hemp dogbane | Warm/ perennial | X | none | X | |
| Henbit | Cool/ annual | none | 0 | ||
| Horse nettle | Warm/ perennial | X | none | X | |
| Jimsonweed | Warm/ annual | none | X | ||
| Kudzu | Warm/perennial | X | low | 0 | |
| Lambsquarters | Warm/ annual | none | X | ||
| Mare's tail/ horseweed | Warm/ annual | X | none | 0 | |
| Maypop/passion flower | Warm/ perennial | X | none | 0 | |
| Milkweed | Warm/ perennial | X | none | X | |
| Nimblewill | Warm/ perennial | X | none | 0 | |
| Pennsylvania smartweed | Cool/ annual | X | none | 0 | |
| Plantain, broadleaf | Cool/ perennial | none | 0 | ||
| Plantain, buckhorn | Cool/ perennial | none | 0 | ||
| Pokeweed | Warm/ perennial | X | none | X | |
| Prickly sida | Warm/ perennial | X | none | 0 | |
| Purple deadnettle | Cool/ annual | low | 0 | ||
| Sicklepod | Warm/ annual | X | X | none | X |
| Spiny amaranth/pigweed | Warm/ annual | X | none | 0 | |
| Thistle, bull | Warm/ biennial | none | 0 | ||
| Vaseygrass | Warm/ perennial | low | 0 | ||
| name |
Introduction
A healthy, thriving pasture is a diverse system that includes plants and animals, both above ground and in the soil. Having a basic understanding and appreciation for the diversity can assist you in managing the valuable resource you have in your pasture. It is easy to focus on your livestock and lose focus of the other elements of the system that are essential to making all elements thrive. No one part of a pasture will do well without the other parts. As graziers, you will make decisions about the plants you encourage and discourage in your pastures in order that your livestock can produce a final product. Here are a few basics about plants that may make reading our articles about individual plants easier for you.
Plants can be classified in many ways. First, we classify plants by their appearance or form as grasses, grassy weeds, and broadleaved (see photos below). You are all familiar with grasses.
Next, there are annuals, biennials, and perennials. This is a way of dividing plants by their life expectancy. Annuals live one year. They start from seed, grow, mature, produce seed for the next crop, and die; all in one year’s time. A biennial has a two-year cycle. It begins from seed in its first year at the end of the summer and early fall, establishes its root system, and begins to grow. It goes dormant during winter, however, and then resumes growth the following spring (year #2). It will then flower, set seed for the next generation, and die. Perennial plants live multiple years. They most often begin from seed, but individuals can live numerous years and produce many generations of new plants. Some perennials spread by root systems as well, using rhizomes (below ground), stolons (above ground), or both. Many pasture systems are built around a perennial base crop.
Another way to classify plants is by their preferred growth season (see graphic, below). Cool-season plants begin growth early in the spring. They have a flush of growth while the temperatures are still relatively cool and then they go dormant and grow very little during the heat of the summer. When temperatures cool off in the fall, these plants “wake up” and resume growth for a second, smaller flush of growth. These plants remain green and may grow in winter if temperatures remain warm enough. Warm-season plants do not begin growth until late spring, when soil temperatures are higher. They have a single growth flush over the summer and into the fall. Growth slows as days shorten and temperatures decline These plants go dormant in late fall. Many of them turn brown with the first killing frost and remain brown over the winter until the next spring.
Pasture plants have either a fibrous root system or a tap root (graphic at left). Generally, plants with taproots use them as an energy storage source. They draw on the energy to recover from harsh environmental conditions, such as drought, or to come out of dormancy. They can use the energy to regrow after being grazed.
Plants with large taproots are often difficult control without chemicals.
Plants may also have stolons and/or rhizomes. Stolons are stems that run along the surface of the soil. They may serve as growth points and energy storage for recovery.
One plant with stolons is white clover
Rhizomes are stems that run underground. They also serve as energy sources and help the plant propagate. Rhizomes can survive even if the plant above the soil surface is removed and so plants with rhizomes can be very difficult to eliminate from pastures. Rhizomes can be used to establish desirable species in prepared beds.
Plants may also be classified as legumes or non-legumes. Legumes are plants that develop symbiotic relationships with soil bacteria (Rhizobia sp.) to take advantage of their ability to fix nitrogen. Bacteria attach to the roots of the host plant in colonies, called nodules (photo on left), and convert atmospheric N into ammonia and then ammonium. Ammonium can be used by the plant for the production of proteins. In return, the plant supplies the bacteria within the nodule with sources of energy and other nutrients they need. Because of this symbiosis, legumes tend to have higher protein content than other plants and therefore are of greater nutritive value for livestock. They can be a valuable asset in a pasture. 
If you are able to identify the plants within your pastures and gain an understanding of their growth habits, their nutritive value, and the possible contributions or dangers they contribute to pasture ecology, you will be better able to manage your pasturelands and promote the growth of the plants you desire within the pasture. It’s important to consider the severity of infestation of undesirable plants as you make management decisions, especially using chemical controls. Controlling an undesirable plant using an herbicide may also kill desirable species. Reducing pasture diversity can have negative implications for wildlife. Alternative control methods may allow reducing the undesirable population to a tolerable level while maintaining the desirables. It is important to consider the larger picture.