A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 MYSTERY PLANT KEPT GROWING!

Well, I thought I had the right family of plants, but apparently not. But, it finally flowered, so maybe now we're getting somewhere. I'm going to try to get a picture with my son's digital camera. Here's the story again. I have this plant that has unusual palmate leaves, rather large with 5 lobes. I had thought it was in the Waterleaf family, because Fendler's Waterleaf looked similar. But, it just kept growing. It now has multiple stalks, is about 10-12 ft tall and has multiple yellow flowers resembling mums or large marigolds. The stalks are green, woody and very smooth, and the leaves look nothing like sunflower leaves. I tried doing an internet search but continue to get nowhere.

Hollyhocks also get very tall. Their flowers come in single and double. The doubles are very full. I've never seen one as bright as a marigold but figured I'd take a guess.

By the way, I have two different kinds in my back yard. One has roundish leaves and the other has 7 lobed leaves.

Sachis: Afraid not a Hollyhock--I have a couple Hollyhocks, and this is definitely in a different family. The texture of the leaves is smooth, more like a maple, and the stems, or stalks, are smooth and more woody, but might also be hollow. The flowers are really pretty, but they all grow near the top. I keep forgetting that camera!

Have you seen Pacific Waterleaf ?

Still don't have the camera. Heavy rains toppled many of the stems, but picture this: a dahlia-like bloom almost exactly like this but a more brilliant yellow and only about 3-4" blooms. All the flowers are at the top, and each produces many flowers with drooping, almost curling stems.

http://www.artsnursery.com/shopping/product.asp?classid=6&id=938

Now, add a leaf with a shape similar to this:

http://www.forestryimages.org/images/768x512/1209049.jpg
Only, the leaf is not hairy, and each lobe is longer(about 8" and narrower(about 1"). At present, they only have the 3 primary lobes at top and one secondary below.
Many smooth stems & plant height is 7-10 ft.

Hope you all haven't lost interest!

I believe I know what it is,
or I can picture it........
My granny had it growing in front of her garage..
But we've sold the house, and I keep forgetting to bring my camera up on the hill when we go...

So, hence, still no name to it though!!!

Keep bringing this to the top again!!!
And keep bugging us!!
(*and I will click the email notification button on mine to keep a watch on someone posting to it.)

Someone is bound to know!!!

Weezie

Thanks, Weezie, this is really bugging me, especially since there were no flowers last year. So, I'm hoping it will come up again next year, and isn't a biennial, or that I have to save the seeds. So, knowing what it is will help a lot!

Please move me to the top of the board again! Its been a busy week for mysteries...

I'm just pushing this up to the top so that someone can slove this mystery.