Weeds with yellow flowers are the blooms that lend bright and beautiful spots of color wherever they grow. While some homeowners find their presence annoying, others appreciate their growth, and many weeds have colorful flowers, and many of them produce bright yellow ones.

Weeds with Yellow Flowers

In order to determine the harmless ones from those that are potentially invasive, we have listed them for your convenience. Let’s explore some of the most common yellow flowering weeds that can be found in our gardens.

List of Weeds That Produce Yellow Flowers

1. Creeping Buttercup

Creeping Buttercup Groundcover

Scientific name
  • Ranunculus repens
Other common names
  • Butter daisy
  • Buttercup
  • Creeping crowfoot
Plant size
  • Grows up from six to 12 inches tall
  • Flowers shoot up to 24 inches high
Notable characteristic
  • Dark green, deeply toothed three-part leaves that often have pale spots
  • Half-inch bright yellow flowers
  • Has an aggressive nature when growing

This is one of the most common weeds with stems that grow along the ground. Due to its creeping habit, the creeping buttercup can easily take over open areas. Typically, it prefers consistently moist soil where it can anchor its fibrous roots.

This is the type of plant that shoots beautiful and tiny yellow flowers, which are quite intoxicating when animals eat them. You must be keen on its features such as its daisy-like petals or its dark green and toothed leaves, and this plant can become quite aggressive in its growth when they aren’t stopped.

2. Creeping Cinquefoil

Creeping Cinquefoil Perennial

Scientific name
  • Potentilla reptans
Other common names
  • European cinquefoil
  • Creeping tormentil
Plant size
  • Grows up from four to six inches tall
  • Can creep up to three feet in length
Notable characteristic
  • Segmented, jagged leaves
  • Small bright golden flowers
  • Aggressive weed and can easily become invasive if left uncontrolled

The creeping cinquefoil is another common weed that grows erratically all over the garden. While it has beautiful sunny flowers, many homeowners can find this weed annoying once it starts to spread.

Pulling it off by hand can be effective if it hasn’t spread too much, this is because the plant is the type that would grow in an aggressive way, and if you don’t want to use any bleach or chemicals, you can simply pull the weeds and they would degenerate.

3. Evening Primrose

Evening Primrose Wildflower

Scientific name
  • Oenothera biennis
Other common names
  • Suncups
  • Sundrops
Plant size
  • Grows up from six to 72 inches tall
  • Grows up from six to 18 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Narrow, smooth, untoothed leaves
  • Multiple small bright yellow blossoms
  • Can easily become invasive if left uncontrolled

This is a primary resident in many landscapes, nurseries, and lawns. While it is mostly prized for its extracted essential oil, the plant has a weedy growth habit that many homeowners find bothersome.

While weeding them by hand can seem effective, herbicides are more efficient in eliminating their presence. These weeds have the tendency to grow very tall, up to 72 inches, and they would show their beautiful flowers that are rich and vibrant in their yellow colors, as a result, they are also known as sun cups or sun drops.

4. Yellow Nutsedge

Yellow Nutsedge Weed

Scientific name
  • Cyperus esculentus
Other common names
  • Chufa flatsedge, chufa sedge
  • Earth almond, tiger nut
  • Yellow nut-grass
Plant size
  • Grows up from six to 36 inches tall
  • Grows up from six to 12 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Tall, upright, grass-like leaves
  • Multiple small bright golden flowers
  • Aggressive growth and thrive under the right conditions

This charming weed looks harmless at first, but it’s actually a very invasive weed that can easily overpower lawns and gardens.

Wet soil is particularly conducive to its growth, where it can wreak havoc even in agricultural fields. It is also known to be hard to control, which is why you should tackle it before it gets aggressive in its growth and prospers in its freedom.

5. Yellow Rocket

Yellow Rocket Perennial

Scientific name
  • Barbarea vulgaris
Other common names
  • Winter cress
  • Common witch
Plant size
  • Grows up from 12 to 25 inches tall
  • Grows up from 6 to 10 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Eight-inch dark green shiny leaves
  • Clusters of small bright yellow flowers
  • Considered an invasive weed in many areas

Normally, this weed grows in farmlands and pastures. It is also a common weed in many lawns and turfgrass, where many homeowners consider it an eyesore.

It can be removed by hand if the plants are small; on the other hand, when mature, it’s best to mow them over or apply herbicides regularly, so that they wouldn’t get invasive and grow all randomly.

6. Marsh Yellowcress

Blooming Marsh Yellowcress Flower

Scientific name
  • Rorippa palustris
Other common names
  • Bog marshcress, bog yellowcress
  • Marshcress
  • Yellow watercress
Plant size
  • Grows up from 12 to 39 inches tall
  • Grows up from six to 10 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Alternate toothed bright green leaves
  • Small bright golden flowers
  • It grows and thrives in a very fast and aggressive manner

These weeds tend to thrive in wet soils that are rich in nutrients because they would have a sudden thrive at that moment. As a result, you will see how they grow around vegetable crops, competing for water and nutrients.

These weeds can affect the growth of edible crops by causing stunted development. This weed can be removed by hand-weeding, although herbicides can do the job equally well, which means that they are easy to take control over, even with some chemicals as well.

7. Yellow Salsify

Yellow Salsify Wildflower

Scientific name
  • Tragopogon dubius
Other common names
  • Yellow goat’s beard
  • Wild oysterplant
Plant size
  • Grows up from eight to 36 inches tall
  • Grows up from six to 24 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Broad perennial medium green leaves
  • Small bright yellow blossoms
  • Has a fast growing property that it would take over a garden

This weed thrives in wet soils that receive plenty of sunshine, and it is famously known as the yellow goat’s beard because of the features that it has.

If your yard has areas with these conditions, then you need to watch out for this particular weed, and they have the ability to grow up to 36 inches tall when left alone. Remove them by hand but keep them away from your compost as the seeds can easily grow there.

8. Yellow Sorrel

Yellow Sorrel Herb

Scientific name
  • Oxalis stricta
Other common names
  • Sour grass, shamrock
  • Sleeping beauty, sour trefoil
  • Sheep’s clover
Plant size
  • Grows up from three to 20 inches tall
  • Grows up from three to four inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Heart-shaped light green leaves
  • Small cup-shaped golden flowers
  • Has strength to extend its growth in a fast way

This weed normally pops up in garden beds, with their little flowers that are golden and yellow in their color. They prefer soils that are consistently moist and rich in nutrients.

It can be removed by hand easily, although herbicides are easier to apply especially when the growth is thick and extensive, and you must not pull it then, because the growth would be in a quite stron manner.

9. Golden Clover

Golden Clover Groundcover

Scientific name
  • Trifolium aureum pollich
Other common names
  • Large hop trefoil
  • Large trefoil
  • Large hop clover, hop clover
Plant size
  • Grows up from five to nine inches tall
  • Grows up from three to six inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Three palmate compound medium green leaves
  • Aging yellow blossoms similar to hops
  • Considered as a fast spreading weed

This weed causes lawns to exhibit thin and patchy spots. Due to its crowding growth habit, it robs grasses and other plants of moisture and nutrients.

It can be easily pulled out by hand, of course when the weed is still young and soft regarding the foliage. However, some homeowners resort to herbicide applications if the growth has become extensive.

10. St. John’s Wort

St Johns Wort Herb

Scientific name
  • Hypericum perforatum
Other common names
  • Perforate St. John’s wort
  • Goat weed
  • Klamath weed
Plant size
  • Grows up from 12 to 24 inches tall
  • Grows up from 6 to 12 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Small elliptical spotted leaves
  • Small bright yellow flowers with dots
  • Very fast in spraeding

This weed reproduces through stems, seeds, and rhizomes, and they are flowers that look graceful with their spindles maturing from the center when they are opening up. While it has medicinal properties, this plant is often unwelcome in many lawns and gardens, because of the matter that they grow in, which would slowly take over due to the invasiveness.

Additionally, this weed is toxic when ingested by grazing livestock. To eliminate this weed, root it out by hand or apply herbicides if it has become quite invasive, and this is when you have no choice but to rely on chemicals.

11. Canada Goldenrod

Canada Goldenrod Flower

Scientific name
  • Solidago canadensis
Other common names
  • Canada goldenrod
Plant size
  • Grows up from 24 to 72 inches tall
  • Grows up from 12 to 24 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Alternate lance-like green leaves
  • Small bright golden nectar-rich flowers
  • Invasive growing plant

Moist soil and sunny conditions can cause this weed to thrive. In the wild, this weed is an important source of nectar for many local bees and butterflies. While it has medicinal properties, it can become bothersome as this weed spreads rather quickly.

Pulling it out is difficult since it spreads by its root system, so herbicides are your best bet, and in such a small time, you will see these weeds cut off.

12. Black-eyed Susan

Black Eyed Susan in Garden

Scientific name
  • Rudbeckia hirta
Other common names
  • Rudbeckia
  • Cone flowers
Plant size
  • Grows up from 12 to 39 inches tall
  • Grows up from 12 to 18 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Alternate lance-like green leaves
  • Small bright yellow flowers with black or dark brown centers
  • It would thrive and spread so fast

Many homeowners grow this plant as a cottage garden ornamental, but they have a weed-like nature when they are growing, especially if the soil has rich and nutritious minerals. This makes this particular plant an invasive weed in many areas.

Its flowers are considered an important source of food for many birds, bees, and butterflies, it would attract pollinators in spring and summer. When growing this plant, ensure that it is properly contained or controlled.

13. Common Purslane

Common Purslane Weed

Scientific name
  • Portulaca oleracea
Other common names
  • Garden purslane
  • Little hogweed
  • Pusleyss, wild portulaca
Plant size
  • Grows up from 12 to 16 inches tall
  • Grows up from 8 to 10 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Alternate lance-like green leaves
  • Small bright yellow blossoms
  • You cannot pull them once they have fully matured

This low-growing weed can be difficult to eliminate. Since it is a succulent, it tolerates drought and summer heat, and it would thrive so well on its own, and grow extensively. Some appreciate this plant because it is edible, but it can also be quite invasive.

As a result of the latter, is it quite easy to get rid of them: first, you must try to pull them when they are still young, or you should rely on herbicides, if necessary.

14. Yellow Toadflax

Yellow Salsify Wildflower Blooms

Scientific name
  • Linaria vulgaris
Other common names
  • Common toadflax
  • Butter-and-eggs plant
Plant size
  • Grows up from 12 to 30 inches tall
  • Grows up from eight to 12 inches wide
Notable characteristic
  • Soft lance-like pale green leaves
  • Small bright yellow flowers similar in appearance to snapdragon blossoms
  • Growing and invading strength is keen

This weed has several medicinal properties. However, it can also present homeowners with annoyance as it spreads all over lawns and gardens. It can be easily pulled out by hand, although herbicide applications are more thorough and powerful because their growth would be quite aggressive and strongly rooted.

Conclusion

When you have common weeds that produce yellow flowers, it may be charming at first. However, you’ll need to remember some things, such as:

  • Weeds can easily choke out lawn grasses and plants by competing for water and nutrients.
  • Some weeds can be toxic, especially when you have animals that chew on them.
  • You can remove them by hand when they’re still few, but herbicides are ideal for invasive growths.

Have you found any of these weeds in your lawns and gardens? You can pull them out when they are young, but you can also refer to herbicides when they get invasive, but either way, now you know all about these little flowers and the weeds they grow.

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