hi there! Anyone know what this is?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by katiemouse, Jul 10, 2007.

  1. katiemouse

    katiemouse Member

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    Hi
    Here's one for you! My hubsband planted two seeds in the soil of one of my houseplants. These seeds were out of a melon, and when they grew the casing of the seed was on the top of them. But this is what they look like now!! Apparently not very melony at all!!! Has anyone got a clue what they are (I'll let everyone off for not knowing how they got into my plant pot :-)!!)
    Thanks and look forward to the mystery finally being solved!
    Mouse
     

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  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Paulownia is an obvious suspect but it has different leaf venation, leaf margins and leaf tips. Don't look to me at the moment quite right for sunflower (Helianthus annuus) either, but maybe they actually are.
     
  3. katiemouse

    katiemouse Member

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    Thankyou! I don't think they can be sunflowers, as we didn't buy any sunflower seeds until two weeks after these had popped up. As you can tell, I've hunted this site out purely for the purpose of identifying these things, so please forgive my ignorance, but what's a Paulownia. (and how the heck did it get into my honeydew melon!?!?!?!)
     
  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Empress tree. Searching the internet for "paulownia" would bring up lots, it is important both as an amenity tree and as a weed in North America. The one on the right looks much more like it than the one on the left, it's the one on the left that bothers me - the other could easily be an empress tree seedling. The leaves of this tree are sticky to the touch and look as though dripping soap when doused, you might try those two tests.
     
  5. katiemouse

    katiemouse Member

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    Hi, I've done the tests, neither are soapy, and the one on the right isn't sticky at all. The one on the left is slightly sticky, but in a hairy velcro kind of way, rather than a wet sticky way. Does that make sense?
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Since I started blabbing I've seen some leaves somewhere on trees in my yard that had all three characteristics shown by yours, that I thought weren't right. Any empress trees growing nearby, that could have seeded into pots?
     
  7. katiemouse

    katiemouse Member

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    No it's a pot plant in my kitchen. Weather's been dreadful here lately so we haven't had the window open for ages. My husband took two seeds out of a honeydew melon and pushed one into the soil either side of my plant - and a few weeks later these appeared. They'd still got the seed casing on. But now they look nothing like any melon plant I've ever seen.

    I'm not even sure we have empress trees over here - I've never head of one before, and all the websites on them seem to be based in the US or Australia. And due to the growth rate of the things, I'm sure I'd have noticed if something like that had popped up nearby, especially as my husband is a tree surgeon, so I automatically notice the trees around me. I agree with you that the plants do vary slightly from each other, but this may be because one is a few weeks older than the other. Is there anything else they could possibly be??
    Thanks again
    Kate
     
  8. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Paulownia tomentosa was introduced to UK in 1834. Did you use sterilized potting soil out of a bag, or might the seeds have come in the material you filled the pots with?
     
  9. katiemouse

    katiemouse Member

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    I've had the pot plant for nearly two years, and would have used "compost for houseplants" it's bagged, but don't know if it's sterilized. But surely it's doubtful for something to sprout up so long after we had the plant. It still seems amazingly to have planted two seeds, for two seedlings to grow, but for them not to be from the planted seeds. I will give it a few weeks, and take another photo of the plants, and post them again, and you can see if them growing makes any difference to the possibilities of what they may be.
    Thanks for all your help.
    Kind regards
    Kate
     
  10. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    If they were not tied up they would lie along the ground like a melon type??? Looks melon like to me. Leaves are a bit different from my cucumber, marrows and pumpkins but has the soft hairy stem. if they make tendrils you will know its not an empress tree. Mine at that size had a very firm stem.

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/knowhow/pp/melons/index.html

    Have a look at leaves on "Jenny Lind"

    Liz
     
  11. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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  12. katiemouse

    katiemouse Member

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    Hi there
    That's what I'm going to do. Will keep you posted of any changes. The chances are that they are in fact melons, as we definitely planted melon seeds. But having virtually no gardening experience, and everyone telling me I haven't got melons, I thought it was best to seek some advice. They only went into those pots at the start of the week, from something much smaller, so they've got a fair bit of growing space for the meantime. I'll just keep feeding them, and see what happens. The Great British summer has left a lot to be desired of late. We've has so much rain lots of the country has been suffering flooding, so I think if they are melons we've been very lucky for them to do so well up to yet. Hopefully the weather will improve and we will be able to sustain their growth and find out what they are. If anything even slightly melony appears I will remove the ties and if possible transplant them into bags, so that they have a fighting chance of producing fruit. I have no idea where we will put them, the average british garden is substantially smaller than those in America and Australia - but I suppose it does keep down on the maintenance.
    Many thanks for your help, and I'll post a photo in a couple of weeks. Just my luck there doesn't appear to be a photo of a honeydew melon plant anywhere in the net.
    Mouse
     
  13. katiemouse

    katiemouse Member

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    Calling Ron B!!

    Hi Ron
    Just a quickie to let you know about the progression of my unknown plants (I'm the crazy brit with the are they/ aren't they melons? if you've forgotten) They plants are now taller than me - at almost 6 feet in height. They are still showing more signs of sunflowers rather than melons - nothing growing at the moment other than new leaves (but unfortunately our sunflowers are still doing dreadfully too, as the weather here is still showing no signs of improving) I'll keep you posted over the next few weeks if anything else does appear. I hope you are well and many thanks once again for all your help, it is truly appeciated.
    Kind regards
    Mouse
     

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