Never seen this before. Plant was small - about a foot tall but with a woody stem. Leaves are large - about 6 inches long. Could be a tree seedling? Found growing near a forested wetland in Snake Lake Park, Tacoma WA.
That sure looks like Daphne laureola to me. If so, tear it out and any other seedlings you may encounter. It is terribly invasive. I've heard many say that this has the potential to challenge Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) as an ongoing threat to native ecosystems. The thing with Spurge Laurel is that it is quite attractive, evergreen and pest-resistant so most people don't recognize it as the growing threat it presents. Weed of the Week: Daphne/Spurge-laurel |
Pull them out, then send them back to Europe! It's a quite rare and protected native species in my area... :)
Needs a shovel or spade to be gotten free of the soil. While you are at it pull up that ivy behind it - in nearby Seattle for instance the majority of wild plant species are of foreign origin. See Jacobson, Wild Plants of Greater Seattle - Second Edition (2008), page 14.
Reminder that (with the exception of whisky) this word is very offensive to many in Scotland, and should not be used in this context. Thanks.
"Scotch broom is said to have been introduced to Vancouver Island from Hawaii in the 1850s by Capt. Walter Calhoun Grant (a Scot) who planted it on his farm near Sooke." Invasive Scotch broom The rest is ongoing history. Who knows why it came to be called 'Scotch' broom since there was no other broom (I know of) growing then to differentiate one from the other. My understanding is that the word 'Scotch' is considered pejorative only when applied to people, not to Scotch whisky, pie, broth, eggs – or plants. My hope is that geneticists will develop a strain of deer that eats only ***** broom, thereby eliminating 2 problems. :) Then, Spurge Laurel. Margot (of Scotch descent)
No - it is also considered offensive when applied to most things, whisky excepted (quite why that is excepted, I'm not sure). The reason lies in 'scot*h' being the spelling used by the invading English oppressors, as opposed to their own spelling Scots or Scottish.
