This yellow flowering plant just popped up in my garden. I don't believe I planted it's seed according to the seed packages I used. Can anyone id it please.
O. biennis, O. x glazioviana and O. villosa ssp. strigosa have been seen growing wild in Seattle. Even though it is the dominant one yours does not look like the second species so try the other two.
I looked up the 3 different cultivars that were mentioned and none of them look quite like my plant. I have uploaded some more photos to help out. Also the plant is 34"H x 30"W. Also the stem and branches are very finely hairy. One photo is of a plant just starting out. Also this is an annual plant.
You may have a different outcome if you dig up written descriptions of the characters used to identify the suggested species and check for those on your plants, instead of looking at pictures only. The presence of the non-flowering rosette in the shot on the right would tend to imply species is not annual or strictly so.
I have read about all 3 of the suggested plants and the one that is most like my plant is the Oenothera biennis, except my plants leaves are 9-23cm long and 4.5-6cm wide. Mine has not fruited yet so I cannot check that. There is no red at all on my plant, and the flowers fade to a lighter yellow, rather than orange or light orange for the other 2 suggestions. It seems the plant is a nectar source for moths, butterflies and bees, and the seeds are important for birds. However in my small plot I think I will not let it reproduce and will only allow 1 plant to exist. Thank you for your help.
