I'm hoping for an ID of these plants Ive had growing in my yard for a few years now. I think they might be some kind of willow but haven't had much success trying to ID them with books. the first picture has a 10 cm vertical stem with leaves that are 4 cm long: and in the next picture the plants have 4 cm vertical stem and 1 cm long leaves, I think both pictures are of the same species. Sometimes I will find seeds or berries and plant them in pots, and other times I buy native plant seeds, plant them and then the writing wears off the label. So Im hoping it's a native plant/tree. Thanks Evan
Yes, spontaneous black cottonwood and willow seedlings often look generally like this. They should be growing up rapidly to produce more characteristic foliage, if you are not seeing development beyond this stage maybe they are dying off each year when the summer drought kicks in.
Awesome, they like lots of water then I guess. The bigger ones are in the ground and are younger than the smaller ones in a pot so I guess they are doing better in the ground... Thanks for the reply Evan
Hard to tell from the photos but I have lots of similar seedlings popping up in my gardens and they are from the invasive spurge laurel - Daphne laureola (I have one growing in my garden and take great pains to control it, including cutting it back after it flowers but before it produces its berries, but the neighbor also has one and thinks "its pretty") http://alienspecies.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/eng/species/spurge-laurel If this is what you have, it is a slow growing shrub that is toxic (all parts) and can also causing skin irritations when handled. It has invaded many parts of BC
I will watch it as it gets bigger and I suppose if it flowers an ID will be easier. The fact that it seems to be slow growing is a bit of a concern I guess (for the toxic one ). Those willows and cottonwoods grow pretty fast. Although it is not in a natural habitat, I live in a valley and there is a creek nearby but my yard has a man made pond and that is it for year round water other than sprinklers for the non native plants. Thanks, Evan
