Clickable link to the "Plants at various sizes (bigger than this it tends to have shrubby, loose branches)":

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[unexplained dup]

This post was edited by missingtheobvious on Mon, Nov 3, 14 at 22:55

Compare it with Sida rhombifolia.

Rgds

Looks very much like Sida rhombifolia (AKA Malva rhombifolia) or another closely related mallow to me as well. The seed pod is absolutely characteristic of the entire family. Once it blooms again in the spring, post a photo or search for images under Sida varieties or Malva varieties and you should be able to get a definitive ID on it.

Why you're having trouble describing it is because it's classified as a "subshrub"... that is, it has some characteristics of a woody shrub and some characteristics of an herbaceous perennial. It's also (as you are finding) an extremely prolific spreader in that those seed pods have a bazillion tiny seeds and they spread everywhere. They are light enough, the wind carries them.

I love my mallows (some of them have blooms that are quite lovely) but keeping them in check is a challenge. I'm not sure if you want to get rid of them altogether or just rein them in a bit, but the way that I have kept them under control is to cut them back as soon as they finish blooming, before the seed pods have a chance to dry out. If you leave them and let the seed pods dry and open, they will be everywhere, as I'm sure you've found.

For my favorite ones, I usually let a few of the pods on the bottom of the stem mature and dry and I collect them before they open. I do that so that if for some reason, my mother plant dies or a friend wants to grow some, I have some seeds that I can drop in that area in the spring or share, although usually I can just dig a seedling up to share in the spring. Usually, all I have to do is check around the yard LOL... the seeds are amazing. No matter how hard you try, a few pods mature early and the wind takes the seeds everywhere and they sprout all over the place.

And yes, once they get over a matter of 6 inches tall, they can be a real chore to pull up. I have the same problem with cherry seedlings. It takes a weeding tool and leather gloves to avoid killing your hands.

I was thinking along totally wrong lines, thanks for the ID of Sida, we have it here, too.