Is this a weed or something beautiful waiting to bloom?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by Christinewk, May 27, 2008.

  1. Christinewk

    Christinewk Member

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    I am not sure whether this is Lambs ears or just a gigantic weed. What do you think?
     

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  2. Tyrlych

    Tyrlych Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Nicotiana ?
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Probably Great Mullein Verbascum thapsus.
     
  4. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    You beat me to it, Michael. I'd say Great Mullein, Verbascum thapsus, as well. It's a common weed here, and most probably also in Canada.
     
  5. Ispied

    Ispied Active Member

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    Lamb's ear quite silver and fuzzy and feels soft to the touch. And yes Lorax your right it is common here Ontario, Canada. I have one that blooms pale yellow.
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Verbascum anyway.
     
  7. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    To my knowledge, all of the Mulleins are yellow-bloomers. If it is Great Mullein, the bloom spike will be almost 6 feet tall.

    Was it there last year, or has it just come up? If it was there last year, it will bloom this year. If it's new, then you'll have to wait.
     
  8. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Verbascum chaixii comes in white, V. phoenicium purple and so on - they're not all yellow.
     
  9. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    huh, just the ones that grow down here, then.
     
  10. Christinewk

    Christinewk Member

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    Thank you all. I promptly pulled it out as it was just getting bigger and bigger.
     
  11. wild-rose-43

    wild-rose-43 Active Member

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    It looked like Mullein to me too. They're considered a weed here also, I have them coming up in the yard, the flower beds and the woods. I pull them up whenever I see them, they reseed themselves freely and can become tremendously invasive.
     
  12. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Made the fatal mistake of letting one set seed. Very nice etc BUT boy it took a couple of years to discourage it's off spring. If another one blows in some day I will let bloom but not set.

    Liz
     
  13. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    They are a very tenacious plant, even in the extreme conditions down here. Mulleins are growing where other species have abandoned ship - too dry, too wet, too hot, too cold, too windy, too sandy, too swampy, too many rocks, too high altitude, and too salty do not seem to be conditions that cause them despair. We have mostly introduced Great Mulleins, but they're absolutely everywhere from the jungle to the coast, and up in the paramo in between. They're one of the only two or three plants I can recall that grow in every biome here. (The others I can think of being dandilions and blue pampas grass.)
     
  14. 1950Greg

    1950Greg Active Member

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    One other plant that grows in the same way that I've noticed is Evening Primrose. A biennial that produces thousands of seeds. In its first year it makes sure nothing can grow beside it by spreading a carpet of leaves on the ground and sending down a healthy tap root to be use the following year.
     
  15. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    The common one is Oenothera glazioviana.
     

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