This plant began growing out of the side of my compost pile. I live in Stuttgart Germany and put everything in my compost pile so it could be anything - vegetable or fruit or weed! Anyways, I've uploaded several pictures. While growing out of the side of my compost pile wherever its come in contact with the ground, its put new roots down as well. There are fine hairs on the main stems/staulks of the plant that you might see in the pics as well. Small pink flowers in clumps at the top of the stems/staulks. Any ideas?
Mint family, square stems are clearly visible. Crush the foliage and give it a smell to see if it reminds you of any of your cooking herbs. You may want to use gloves, though I can't think of any mint family plants that are irritating to the skin.
Daniel, no such luck - crushed leaf has no distinctive smell at all; certainly not a minty oder. Smells like nothing I've come across, herb or otherwise. Thanks for the try though!
Galeopsis This is a species of Galeopsis (a hemp-nettle, in German "Hohlzahn"), most probably Galeopsis tetrahit (in the "Illustrated Flora of British Columbia" just hemp-nettle, in German "Stechender Hohlzahn"). This genus is sometimes rather tricky in Germany because there are several similar species. But there are not too many lookalikes in the Stuttgart area according to the distribution maps in "Die Farn- und Bluetenpflanzen Baden-Wuerttembergs". Nevertheless the plant does not look typical for the (very variable) species and a sharp image of one of the flowers from the front and an image of one of the nodes on the stem below the leaves would be great.
Thanks for the reply - I was hoping for a surprise of some sort but this looks to be just a wild plant of sorts with nothing "special" such as a fruit or vegetable or flower crop....oh well, it's an interesting plant anyways! thanks!
