Any ideas what this is?

[daisymay]

Hi everyone

Manuel's mum ^stole some seed whilst on holiday in Italy last year and promptly forgot about it....... she came across it a couple of weeks ago and thought she would give it a go, but has no real recollection what the plant looked like, other than she must have liked it to take some seed!

She is now concerned having read an article in the Times that it is in fact Japanese Knotweed??? it is growing at an alarming rate and seems to have a lot of the general characteristics described in the article.

What do you think?

She has been growing it in pots in the greenhouse so far.

[daisymay]

[Georgie]

Looks like a Datura to me but not a lot to go on.

G x

[saddad]

Haven't got a scooby's yet.... looks like some Datura I once had..
???

[Robert_Brenchley]

Grow it on and see; I've never seen a knotweed seedling. I'm sure I've read somewhere that all the knotweed in the UK belongs to a single clone, and I'm not sure that it produces viable seed, though I'm not sure why it wouldn't. Bees like it, so it can't go unpollinated.

[daisymay]

Thanks everyone - she is really worried as she planted hers out yesterday - this is one she gave us!

will let is grow on a bit - Datura is possible. Googled it and the leaves look similar, Will see what she thinks, may jog her memory.

G x

[David R]

Not datura, I grew those from seed and they are not like that.

Looks like knotweed. Word of caution here, as said, this terribly destructive plant is all female in this country and can't reproduce sexually, if any male gets in there may be an ecological disaster. The problem is that nothing preys on it as it has no natural enemies in this country. It spreads and chokes out anything in its path.

check the link
http://www.cabi-bioscience.org/html/japanese_knotweed_alliance.htm#repro

I hope its not knotweed but is does look similar.

[nell]

Also looks very much like Mirabilis "Marvel of Peru"

[Ceratonia]

Grow it on and see; I've never seen a knotweed seedling. I'm sure I've read somewhere that all the knotweed in the UK belongs to a single clone, and I'm not sure that it produces viable seed, though I'm not sure why it wouldn't.

It doesn't produce seed because it's dioecious and there are no male plants in Europe. It does hybridize with other species, but the resulting seedlings are not usually very healthy. So given the seedling came from Italy, I doubt this is knotweed - worth keeping the possibility in mind, though.

Seems odd to me that there is no legal requirement for local councils to control Japanese Knowtweed. I can see some out of my window at work, it's been slowly spreading along the side of the road for the last few years. I guess the cost of eradicating it would be enormous, though.

[EmmaLou]

I don't think it is knotweed as they tend to have shorter/fatter leaves.

I think helenelkin is right - it looks like a Miribilis. Are the leaves growing in pairs as opposites? This should confirm it as knotweed grow alternate and Miribilis are oposites.

[SteveJ]

Surely if there is any doubt at all that it may be knotweed, it would be best to destroy the plant??

[Robert_Brenchley]

It can't go anywhere while it's in a pot. Get it grow, and if it turns out to be knotweed, kill it. You could always chuck it in a pan of boiling water to be certain. Or put it somewhere to dessicate for a few months.

[SteveJ]

It can't go anywhere while it's in a pot. Get it grow, and if it turns out to be knotweed, kill it. You could always chuck it in a pan of boiling water to be certain. Or put it somewhere to dessicate for a few months.

Hi Robert, I would agree that if it was in a pot it would do no harm to just wait and see, however according to a later post, it is no longer in a pot, but planted out.

Thanks everyone - she is really worried as she planted hers out yesterday - this is one she gave us!

IMHO it should be dug up in it's entirety and either repotted or destroyed as per Robert's suggestion.

[Emagggie]

click on image for a closer look.

This is what the dreaded Kntweed looks like. We are constantly trying to get the Pub next door to have it erradicated profesionally. So far it has cost them a new 8ft x 30ft brick wall as it grew under the last one and pulled it over!
As you see the leaves are more rounded and the stalks are red coloured.

[David R]

nice.

[Emagggie]

Oh Bugger............  :-\

[saddad]

?Our old friend Bindweed?
???

[nell]

Here's my young Mirabilis for comparison!

[David R]

Saddad,

The picture is of knotweed growing though some unfortunate persons house in wales. Apparently it drills through concrete, bricks etc.

[daisymay]

Hi everyone

thanks for your somments... I think the Mirabilis looks hopeful - very similar looking..... will look it up on a few sites/ books and hopefully put the future mother in law's mind at rest.

[daisymay]

Had a nother look at it.... the leaves are in pairs at alternate right angles to each other


showed it to a friend this weekend and she reckons it could be bourgonvilla (spelling?)