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Cindy Sagers, associate professor of biological sciences in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, replies:
Weeds are defined from a human perspective: In the broader scheme of things, a weed is really just another plant. However, weeds do tend to share certain characteristics: They make large amounts of seeds and often generate in disturbed areas.
Because humans are more mobile, weeds have become more and more of an issue, particularly in the form of invasive species, which often grow aggressively in new environments.
Still, weeds can be quite pretty, and sometimes people grow them in their gardens without regards to their less admirable qualities. Common plants considered to be weeds include chicory, Queen Anne’s lace, red and white clover, and St. John’s wort.
Weeds have developed this “vagabond” lifestyle that has been very successful in the plant world. They move around in all sorts of ways – on car tires, in the soles of shoes, on animal coats. These have figured out how to move around and how to become more common.