Please post an image of your own weed. If you can't do it, perhaps a neighbor/friend/relative can help you.

More images are here:

http://s21.postimg.org/5k2a5k2lz/matweed1.jpg
http://s13.postimg.org/6ftcx9ymf/matweed2.jpg
http://s21.postimg.org/edz0u5mfb/matweed3.jpg

The first one shows the flatness and slightly blue-green color that helps this weed hide in Bermuda grass. The second shows the leaves are clearly not spurge or knotweed. The third shows a section of my neighbor's yard, which has been overrun in about 4 weeks time -- the weed is very aggressive.

Still the best image is the one in my original post. I posted that one because a) it's a better closeup than what I can do with my cameras, and b) it is -- as I mentioned -- the only matching pic I can find anywhere on the web. No one could identify his pic either, which is a big part of my concern.

Thanks.

-Jeff

Have you contacted your county's agricultural agent? Texas seems to take invasive plants much more seriously than most states, so your agent might be interested in an unknown, and might know what has shown up recently. The only thing I could find that is similar to what you've got is peganum harmala, African Rue (aka Syrian Rue). Dotted bridal veil (gibasis pellucida) also caught my eye, but I think the leaves are wrong.
I hope that someone more knowledgeable will be able to help, but I still think a call to the county agent may be of help. Good luck with this.

This post was edited by lisanti07028 on Sun, Aug 11, 13 at 22:09

I have tried twice to edit this, to no avail. The names of the plants are peganum harmala and gibasis pellucida. I apologize for the typos.

Use this map to locate your county's Extension Service office
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

Here is a link that might be useful: locate your county's Extension Service office

Your new links:

Wiki

Here is a link that might be useful: Slender Aster

Wiki

Here is a link that might be useful: Slender Aster

purpleinopp. please tell me the name of the weed in #2

I'm sorry, IDK what it is. You might want to compare it to Polypremum procumbens, but it may be something else.

I've been looking all over for this and I think lisanti07028 and eline65 is right, Slender Aster. Here are some of my photos of 4 that I pulled up:

If this is right and it is Slender Aster (AKA: Wild Aster, Panicled Aster and Salt Marsh Aster) then here is what I know about them.

Wait until a day after a very heavy rain... if the ground is soggy, then that is ideal. They will fell like a miniature bush and not succulent like the pictures seem to convey. Get each branch that is down low, usually running under grass and pull them to the top and grasp them firmly and slowly pull straight up. They will come out easily with the full tap root. If they ground is not moist enough they will always break off at soil level.

Although one photo indicates the root is off to the side, that one I pull up under a raised garden structure and was growing out from under a board. So expect to have the tap root straight down.

They are perennial (but some sources say they are summer annual weed), regardless the flower heads have tons of seeds so if you pull them early before they bloom then you have significantly reduced new growth. Apparently a hard winter will kill them off, but not the seeds.

Best control is a pre emergent herbicide such as Halts. Next best is a post emergent herbicide 2, 4-D+MCPP+Dicamba (which as I understand is Trimec) but it needs to be applied to growing plants in the Spring since by Fall they start to get woody and are much harder to kill.

I'm far from being an expert on this (just found what this weed was that I've had for about five years) but I would suggest pulling them after a heavy rain at the end of Summer and then using Halts around February, and when they first start appearing pull them after a heavy rain. This year I didn't use Halts and I think they are worse. Some neighbors have their whole yard covered in them and it's generally those houses that were up for sale and not mowed regularly.

A native wildflower. It's welcome in our mowed area, though it doesn't look like a kind of plant that can survive regular mowing, most woody entities can't. The Wiki article says there is concern about this plant being headed toward danger of extinction.

Yeah, I saw that... they are rated G4. I wonder about the history. I suspect extinction would be due to humans since it seems to be a hearty plant. It doesn't seem to have to fight growing with bermuda grass. Since our summers have been hot the past few years, aways near 100, I cut my grass higher, so maybe that is what allows it to be so prevalent. Only in the Fall do I start cutting it shorter and that is when they are woody.

Early spring, I don't notice them or don't care. I have some flowering plants that an organic gardener friend planted in the front yard for my grandson and they are pretty compared to this one. I hate to treat the lawn in early spring because of this. They have been coming up for about 8 years now, and my organic friend is now dead, so I'm sure he is watching me to protect them. LOL They work out real well since they start dying off right about the time the grass is greening.

Yes, it sounds like mowing high has allowed the non-grass plants to survive. There's some irony in trying to evict native wildflowers to cultivate more labor-intensive and non-native grass.