Q: I have a very invasive weed with a tuberous root. Can you tell me what it is and how to get rid of it?

A: It’s a really bad weed: Florida betony (aka rattlesnake weed). It’s hard to control but one good thing about it is that the roots are edible: crunchy and firm like water chestnut.

If you don’t have an appetite for the roots, one solution is to remove every desirable plant from your beds and spray the betony that remains with glyphosate (Roundup, etc).

The only other alternative is to relentlessly spray each betony plant in your bed whenever you see it, protecting your good plants with a piece of cardboard. Control will take at least three years but you won’t have to empty your beds.

Eating Florida Betony