The Lemon Fool

Is anyone able to identify this mystery plant which has sprung up in my garden, please?



It has a single stem 2 inches across. It is already 5 feet high, 4 feet across and the largest leaves are 8 inches across.
It has made all this growth in about 2 months. I had hoped it would flower, making identification easier, but so far it is all leaves.

In particular, should I be worried about it? I know it is not Japanese knot weed but could it be something similar?

Thanks.

Cinelli

cinelli wrote:
Is anyone able to identify this mystery plant which has sprung up in my garden, please?

It has a single stem 2 inches across. It is already 5 feet high, 4 feet across and the largest leaves are 8 inches across.

It has made all this growth in about 2 months.

Wow, that's some growth-spurt!

Is it a type of giant rhubarb?

Giant rhubarb (Gunnera manicata) - https://www.puddleplants.co.uk/product/ ... -manicata/

Gunnera Manicata: how to recognize the real one - http://palmvrienden.net/gblapalmeraie/2 ... -real-one/

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

cinelli wrote:Is anyone able to identify this mystery plant which has sprung up in my garden, please?



It has a single stem 2 inches across. It is already 5 feet high, 4 feet across and the largest leaves are 8 inches across.
It has made all this growth in about 2 months. I had hoped it would flower, making identification easier, but so far it is all leaves.

In particular, should I be worried about it? I know it is not Japanese knot weed but could it be something similar?

Thanks.

Cinelli

Do you live near the coast? The leaves and growth spurt could well be this*: http://architecturalplants.com/plants/id/malva-arborea

HYD

* According to my PlantFinder app

Howyoudoin wrote:

cinelli wrote:Is anyone able to identify this mystery plant which has sprung up in my garden, please?



It has a single stem 2 inches across. It is already 5 feet high, 4 feet across and the largest leaves are 8 inches across.
It has made all this growth in about 2 months. I had hoped it would flower, making identification easier, but so far it is all leaves.

In particular, should I be worried about it? I know it is not Japanese knot weed but could it be something similar?

Thanks.

Cinelli

Do you live near the coast? The leaves and growth spurt could well be this*: http://architecturalplants.com/plants/id/malva-arborea

HYD

* According to my PlantFinder app

Further to my previous post, here is a better photo of the Malva Arborea's leaves, which do look similar:



HYD

The leaves look vaguely figgy to me, and the very rapid growth rate would also fit. But a stem two inches thick within two months? Yikes!

I wouldn't give it house room until I knew exactly what it was. Sounds invasive. You've read Day of the Triffids, of course?

BTW, fig plants exude white sticky sap if you cut them, and it can burn and irritate your skin if you don't wash it off promptly. Does that ring any bells?

BJ

Hmm, kind of looks like the leaves of a wild strain of Lavatera, or Mallow (common name). This can grow from zero to 5-6ft+ in the right conditions, is often a single stem, and it looks like the start of a bit of rust on the leaves, which isn't uncommon. That said, mine have been flowering for a month or so, and have nearly finished, so why this one would be so far behind I don't know, maybe it's just in its first season so is a bit behind.

Also hollyhocks can do that massive single stem thing, but again, down south at least they've been flowering and finished more or less by now, and I've not seen leaves that colour on a hollyhock.

Those leaves do look familiar.

Oooh, oooh, Lavatera maritima?

Google "lavatera maritima leaf" looks close anyway.

UncleIan wrote:Hmm, kind of looks like the leaves of a wild strain of Lavatera, or Mallow (common name).

HYD's earlier reply also suggested a type of mallow. An image of the stem would assist.

The plant reminds me of a wild cabbage that arrived unexpectedly in my garden in the wasteland created by digging out a swimming pond. Mine was over 1.5m tall and was possibly a Jersey Cabbage see : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea
If it is that, it's biennial so perhaps flowers next year.

Didn't see too much of the leaves as they were fairly quickly infested with cabbage white caterpillars.
It ended up leafless but still managed to seed. It was 5-6 years ago so my memory is imperfect.

Many thanks for the suggestions. I don't think it's a fig because Wikipedia pictures show shiny leaves. My plant has matt green leaves, more like a cabbage. Also I had to cut it back because otherwise I couldn't drive the car in. It didn't bleed guey sap. And I don't think it is a giant rhubarb as those leaves are huge. So I think it could be a tree mallow. I live in the Midlands so anything which grows only on the coast is out. Here are two more photos:



The second one shows the stem is more like 2 1/2 inches across rather than my earlier estimate. But if it is a mallow, what a pity it hasn't flowered yet. That would confirm it one way or the other. If a tree mallow is biennial, does that mean I have to leave it all winter just the check what the flowers look like next year? This could be a risk if it has triffid-like tendencies.

Cinelli

It's the biggest aspidistra in the world

AiY (My bad )

Hmmm, I'm coming round to HYD's view that it might be a tree mallow. Leaves can be soft and wrinkly as well as shiny, and they come in many shapes. But it's renowned for its woody stem and its phenomenal growth rate.

Considered to be an invasive pest. It's killing puffins in Scotland! https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/3870/

BJ

cinelli wrote:Is anyone able to identify this mystery plant which has sprung up in my garden, please?

I'm afraid I can't, but I will point out that your photographs show the leaves as having 9 clear veins radiating out from the stalk attachment point. If one can find a clear enough photo of the leaves of a candidate plant, that may rule it out. For instance, itsallaguess's suggestion of giant rhubarb (Gunnera manicata) looks wrong to me, on the basis that his link http://palmvrienden.net/gblapalmeraie/2 ... -real-one/ has a photo some way down very clearly showing that its leaves have 5 such veins.

Gengulphus

Thanks, Gengulphus. One thing I did try, unsuccessfully as it turned out, was Google Image. This came to my attention only recently when XFool used it as a method to find mystery items on the puzzles board. I uploaded my leaf image and asked for matches. But the only returns were generic leaf photos. I just wish the thing would flower. I am quite looking forward to those pretty purple blooms, or possibly something else.

Cinelli

You could try the free (and ad free) PlantNet app. It allows you to select more than one photo before submitting them and even allows photos to be offered as leaves, flowers, fruits, bark etc.