this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago

Is this fish but with plants?

[–] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 0 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Fun fact: the name for a weed in my native language is literally "angry grass" :3

[–] MissyBee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Unkraut in German. Doesn't deserve to be called a Kraut.

[–] syklemil@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Similar in Norwegian: Ugress. Un-grass.

I've heard one definition of it that I like: The grass that your (grazing) animals won't eat.

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[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Ogräs in swedish, gräs is herb and the O is like making it not-grass.

Röka gräs is smoking weed though so suddenly it's getting the good treatment.

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[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I love it, what language is that?

[–] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 0 points 3 days ago (3 children)
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[–] fushuan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Mine translates to "bad grass" in both my mother languages.

[–] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] fushuan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 3 days ago

yeah, that both have a lot of words translated from each other xD

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 0 points 3 days ago (2 children)

The French name for weed could be translated to "bad/wrong grass"

[–] Evkob@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I think this is something I might be too French-Canadian to understand, here we'd call it "pot" or perhaps "herbe", both of which don't translate to "bad grass".

Unless overseas "herbe" translates to weed. We use it pretty interchangeably with "gazon" (which just means grass)

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 0 points 3 days ago

"Mauvaises herbes" this is the word I was thinking about.

[–] Damage@feddit.it 0 points 3 days ago

Erbaccia in Italian, bad/ugly grass

[–] stray@pawb.social 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

In Swedish the prefix for bad stuff is the same as the prefix for not or un-. So a monster is a not-animal and a weed is ungrass. Which is especially interesting to me because that same prefix (o) is for better versions of things in Japanese.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

that same prefix (o) is for better versions of things in Japanese.

Puts on nerd glasses well ackshually it's used to elevate the status of something, such as with people, objects or other entities of social or religious significance (for example other people's family members in a polite situation). It's more honored than better.

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[–] Madrigal@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 3 days ago

weeds are plants with the capacity for spite

[–] salacious_coaster@infosec.pub 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Well, "weed" can be a legal definition. A lot of governments have a noxious weed list that either provides for consequences if you suffer that plant on your property, or just an excuse for the government to come on to your property to kill the weeds for you. For instance, Russian Olive is legally a "kill on sight" invasive plant in my area.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 0 points 3 days ago

noxious and invasive weeds.

[–] tiramichu@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

My definition: aggressive spread and resilience to removal.

Plants that are pretty might get more of a 'pass' than ones which are ugly, poisonous or thorny, but ultimately, even the most beautiful flower becomes a weed when it's suddenly everywhere and you are fighting constantly to get rid of it.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

aggressive spread and resilience to removal

Humans are a weed.

becomes a weed when it's suddenly everywhere and you are fighting constantly to get rid of it

(Humans! :))
But you are fighting constantly to get rid of it bcs of some arbitrary goals. And the fact it's spreading means that it's perfectly adapted for survival in that environment you created, so it's perfect for that pace.

[–] Not_Dav3@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago

the fact it's spreading means that it's perfectly adapted for survival in that environment you created, so it's perfect for that pace.

There is such a thing as exotic invasive species that destabilize the local ecosystem, though.

[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

No weed is for plant. Fir animals its pest/vermin.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

True. Which still leads to an infestation.

collapsed inline media

On non-logarithmic scale:

collapsed inline media

And don't forget that shown is just the last couple of thousand of years - there are 4 more millions of years prior to this of slow growth (and some collapses) but it wouldn't even register on such a chart.

Ugh, I guess this is far off topic.

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[–] GreenMartian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

aggressive spread and resilience to remove

Many would argue that mint is an herb. But if you ever had your garden invaded by mint, you'll definitely classify them under weed.

Always plant mint in a pot. And if your neighbour has mint in their garden, you better have a 2m trench filled with concrete between their garden and yours.

[–] Brainsploosh@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (2 children)

60 cm is the actual number, which makes it much too real for me...

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[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (2 children)

My definition: aggressive spread and resilience to removal.

That fits to a lot of useful plants too. Strawberries, Brambles, Mint, just to name a few.

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[–] archonet@lemy.lol 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

[with visibly bloodshot eyes] "Nah, man, I disagree with your definition there."

like I know it's a science meme but both the stoner and the linguistics guy inside me go "but wait, there's more..."

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[–] SpoopyKing@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Just wait until he finds out about "tree"

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Any kind of twig that's not a shrub?

[–] Nalivai@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 3 days ago (2 children)

A nice one, and not too expensive.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] tektite@slrpnk.net 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say, "Ni" at will to old ladies!

[–] Mist101@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago
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[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Yes, this was a real educational technicality fuckup, it seemed sus but everyone was like "don't you know it's a weed"? - "No, no I do not. And you don't even have a field to worry abut crop yields, it's just a lawn & now there is a flower in it, wtf."

I know it's economy (or even sociology), but it's too close to biology not to directly explain it properly.

[–] SwampYankee@feddit.online 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'll have you know my lawn is a crop and it yields social status.

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[–] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 0 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Then we go and define things as "invasive" as if the world hasn't been ever-changing for billions of years. As if we know better and need an environment to remain exactly as we found it, forever. As if nature won't just fucking figure it out.

[–] stray@pawb.social 0 points 3 days ago

It definitely counts as invasive if we put it there though. I don't see rabbits swimming to Australia.

Invasive species are something else. They can cause active harm to an ecosystem and are crucial to look out for, especially in sensitive areas. Just because "life finds a way" doesn't mean destroying a niche habitat is okay.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 0 points 3 days ago

As if nature won't just fucking figure it out.

Nature will figure it out, but it won't necessarily figure it out in a way that's good for us (or whatever we want to prevent from going extinct).

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 0 points 3 days ago (9 children)

My garden is all weeds. Tons of different plants, but some dominate in certain seasons, growing like 5 feet high. Seems to have avoided anything nasty though, no thistles, nettles or brambles.

My neighbour's garden is a thin layer of plastic astroturf. And they let a dog run about on it. Good luck getting dog diarrhoea out of that.

I know which I prefer.

[–] QuincyPeck@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago

I also prefer your dumb neighbor having diarrhea stained astroturf.

[–] Psaldorn@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (4 children)

I wish someone had warned me before no now may about brambles.

1 shoulder injury and a year later I need chainmail gloves and a fucking flamethrower. I fill my green bin with brambles, by the time it's picked up they've grown back.

The main root is under a shed. I don't know how to eliminate it.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The worst I had to deal with was pampas grass, which appears to be a plant made of actual swords.

I spent three days hacking at it in a coat so I wouldn't get shredded. When I finally cut the root bulb out it was a cube of wood a foot across. I could barely lift it out, I had to roll it to the bin.

At least pampas grass doesn't spread.

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[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I don’t know if this will work on brambles, but for pesky root systems I’ve had luck with Bovide’s Stump and Vine killer. You cut near the base of one of them, then paint the exposed stem with this stuff. It absorbs into the root system and kills all of it. Works great on pokeweed.

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[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 3 days ago (4 children)

In Spanish we call them "malas hierbas"

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 0 points 3 days ago (2 children)

In German it's "Unkraut" which could either be interpreted as "not herb", "abnormal herb" or "evil herb". Is the range similar in Spanish?

[–] TheRealKuni@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago

Other than the “not” part, yeah. “Mala” is bad, wrong, evil, wicked, ill, naughty, etc.

(Checked this to confirm before I posted, since it’s been several years since I’ve known Spanish well enough to speak it.)

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[–] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.cafe 0 points 3 days ago (6 children)

The general definition of a weed is "any plant growing where you don't want it to be". A corn plant in a bean field is a terrible weed.

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