6 Weed That Looks Like Rhubarb

Garden rhubarb is a famous perennial plant because of its sour taste and reddish stalks. But you need to be careful while eating plants with red-brown stems in the rhubarb variety because there are many weed that looks like Rhubarb. Many weeds and other plants resemble rhubarb plants and are poisonous. For example, weeds like Poison Hemlock, Prickly Rhubarb, wild Rhubarb, skunk cabbage, and pokeweed have red-brown stems like Rhubarb that confuse people.

While there are some differences in their sizes, shapes, and colors, it does not mean you can easily distinguish them. Knowing what rhubarbs look like and the weeds that have a similar appearance can help you differentiate between them. Here, we will discuss all those weeds that look like rhubarbs and the ways to get rid of them. So read the complete article and be an informed gardener!

What Weed Looks Like Rhubarb

The people who wonder, “Is there a weed that looks like rhubarb?” The weeds resemble rhubarbs but have many toxic effects on human health if you touch them. Let’s discuss the following:

1. Indian Rhubarb

Common name: Rheum australe

Botanic name: Rheum palmatum

Hardiness zone: 5-8

Soil: Humus-rich substrate

The Indian Rhubarb belongs to the family of Saxifragaceae and is native to SW Oregon and NW California. People of America and Europe call this Indian Rhubarb by various names. They love to grow in cooler temperatures. Its long and slender reddish stems are attached to stiff leaf stems. 

The rounded leaves have sharp edges. The leaves are 2-4 cm wider, similar to the rhubarb leaves but slightly smaller. The red-purple or white color flowers grow at the top of the stem. Indian Rhubarb can grow at 12 cm in height. The leaves can grow up to 60cm long, and the weed stem has bristly hairs of pink, red, or purple. 

2. Bog Rhubarb

Common name: Devil’s hat

Botanic name: Petasites japonicus

Hardiness zone: 3-7

Soil: Damp clay soil

There are many other names for Bog rhubarb, but the most common is this one. It is a perennial plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family and is native to Europe and North Asia. Bog rhubarb is found in China, Japan, Korea, and Sakhalin. They like to creep because their roots are meaty and thick. This weed has a unique characteristic of blooming before even the leaves appear.

Due to its capped clustered flowerheads, you can quickly identify them between many flowers. The flowers have many bracts interlaced, which makes them a little different. Bog rhubarb blooms in late winter or early spring with purple flowers. If you notice the rhubarb plant with bracts flowers, it is not an actual rhubarb plant but a weed. 

3. Swiss Chard

Common name: White beet

Botanic name: Beta vulgaris L.

Hardiness zone: 6-10

Soil: Rich and well-drained soil

This weed also resembles a rhubarb plant because of its giant leaves. The weed is native to Sicily, Italy. If you mistakenly grow this fake Rhubarb in your garden, don’t worry; you can eat its fruit. The flavor of the fruit can be altered; real Rhubarb has a sour taste and is less bitter, mainly when you cook it. You can easily spot the Swiss chard in your garden because of its identical featured leaves. 

Swiss chard also has fuzzy environmental requirements, just like the rhubarbs, so people consider it a natural rhubarb. Its stem is neither red nor green; it is white. Both plants grow at identical and similar heights, making it difficult to recognize them sometimes. Due to a non-toxic weed, you can expand it alongside other plants. 

4. Burdock Weed

Common name: Greater Burdock

Botanic name: Arctium lappa

Hardiness zone: 2-11

Soil: Sandy or well-drained

The weed has enormous leaves, just like the edible rhubarb plant. It is native to Europe. Its stem resembles the Rhubarb’s, so people often confuse it and consider it a rhubarb plant. Due to the same stem and leaves, the burdock weed reaches a rhubarb plant. But the most significant difference among them is that burdock weed is not edible and is harmful to human health, so you cannot eat it. 

You will suffer a severe reaction if you accidentally cook or eat it thinking of a natural rhubarb. When you prepare it for cooking or eating, notice that its stem is hollow, but mostly, these hints are easy to miss. How can you distinguish it, then? The most significant difference is that this weed cannot produce white or red flowers like a natural rhubarb. The burdock weed has thorny burrs on the stem instead of blooming flowers. 

5. Japanese Knotweed

Common name: Mexican bamboo

Botanic name: Reynoutria japonica

Hardiness zone: 4-10

Soil: Moist and nutrient-rich

Japanese knotweed is a perennial plant primarily found in East Asia. It is native to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. It acts like an invasive weed in most of the world, like North America and Europe. As an invasive weed, it spread to the whole garden within a few days. In the growing process, when the Japanese knotweed is an ever-increasing weed, it looks like an edible plant.

Its leaves resemble real rhubarb leaves, and the stem has wiry hairs. The leaves of the weed have deep split lobes. Even folk healers and expert gardeners sometimes think it is a natural rhubarb due to its similar look. Its fruit is sweet and soft with a mild flavor. You can use its cooked fruit to eat and freeze it to add to other vegetables and soups. 

6. Skunk Cabbage

Common name: Swamp cabbage

Botanic name: Symplocarpus foetidus

Hardiness zone: 4-7

Soil: Wet, muddy soil

It is one of the common weeds that most gardeners find in gardens. It is native to eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. This weed looks like a massive rhubarb because of its spade-shaped leaves. Real Rhubarb does not like to grow in marshy areas, but unlike it, the skunk cabbage loves to thrive and grow in marshy areas, especially in the wild. 

Even though the weed grows in the unacceptable land, you will notice its presence on the edges of the garden. Its smell is different from the sweet smell of real Rhubarb. Unlike Rhubarb, its stem does not have any color. Thanks to its distinctive smell, it is easy to identify it in the garden. 

How to Identify Garden Weeds That Look Like Rhubarb Plants

It is hard to tell which weeds are poisonous until they become mature plants. Many weeds are dibble, and you can eat them just like a natural rhubarb, but there are some that you cannot eat because they are toxic to human health. 

You must then wonder how you can identify them. You can determine the weeds by noticing the length of their leaves, the flowers and stems’ color, and the weeds’ height. Some weeds that look like Rhubarb have a similar shape, but some have a different shape. So, if the plant has a different size and shape than the Rhubarb, there must be something in its color and fruit that will help you identify it. 

How to Get Rid of These Weeds

Many ways can help you eliminate harmful and harmless weeds from your garden. We have rounded up some of the most common and easy tips to help you, let’s get to know what those are:

1. Dig Them Up by the Roots

It is the oldest method, but most people or gardeners remove weeds by digging them with roots. You can use a garden fork or hand trowel to carefully lever them from the soil. Make sure to remove them from their roots to stop their rapid growth again. 

2. Keep on Top of Mulching

Mulching is the most beneficial way of stopping weed growth. Placing the mulching on the weeds would be best to prevent them from spreading. You can use garden compost, seaweed, straw, processed bark, wood clippings, rotted manure, and leaf mold to provide essential soil nutrients. 

3. Mow Them Down

Frequent lawn mowing will help you get rid of all the harmful weeds. You must mow your lawn daily or every two days to prevent the plants from setting seed, which will help eliminate them. Rather than leaving the clipping on the grass, make sure to attach the basket to the mower. 

4. Use Homemade Weed Killer with Baking Soda

Since baking soda is a powder, you can use it to wet the plants to make the powder stick. Then, sprinkle one teaspoon of powder on the weed leaves, which will work like magic. This excellent method will help you get rid of the leaves, and the growth of the weeds will stop immediately. 

Conclusion

If you were wondering about the weeds that have a similar shape to the rhubarbs, you must have gotten your answer after reading the article. Read the identifications thoroughly to make it easy for you to identify which weed is growing in your garden and how you can get rid of it. Please stay connected with us for more valuable information in the future. 

FAQs

1. Do Some Plants Look Like Rhinobarb?

Many plants or weeds resemble Rhubarb, including skunk cabbage, prickly Rhubarb, burdock, and poison hemlock. Swiss chard is an edible weed that looks like a natural rhubarb. You can cook and eat it like a raw rhubarb. 

2. Is Wild Rhubarb Poisonous?

No, wild Rhubarb is not poisonous, you can eat it because it is perfectly edible, but it’s good to be cautious. However, the weed has high calcium oxalate levels, which can become a problem for the human body. So, people who grow this weed in their gardens should reduce their consumption. 

3. Which Is the Quickest Method to Get Rid of Weeds That Look Like Rhubarb? 

If you want to get rid of weeds that look like rhubarb quickly, then treat them with herbicides. But if you don’t want to use herbicides then manually pull the weeds from their roots.