# Mystery Plant



## slownsteady (Jul 14, 2014)

This plant is growing in a large unused pot in our driveway. We have no idea what it is, but the flowers only seem to open for a hour or so before disappearing:

Any ideas?


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## nealtw (Jul 14, 2014)

Try this.
http://www.oakleafgardening.com/problems/identify-a-weed/


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## slownsteady (Jul 14, 2014)

Thanks neal. nice try, but I got no results there. I heard about *Leafsnap* but that appears to be only trees.


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## bud16415 (Jul 14, 2014)

You can google a photo. It would be interesting to crop out the flower and google it to see what you get as results. I would try it but its some messing around on an iPhone. I once googled a photo of my face and it came back with people that looked like me and one was me. It was a holy crap moment. The Internet scares me sometimes. 


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair


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## nealtw (Jul 14, 2014)

boy do I have to do everything?

http://www.naturespic.com/NewZealand/image.asp?id=39178


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## slownsteady (Jul 14, 2014)

I did try google from my desktop computer, but I didn't isolate a leaf. The results that it returned were useless. It returned 16 pictures of various kinds, and when I clicked on any of them it brought me to the same endless photo search. They just throw the sh*t at you and you might as well just get walk around and look at gardens yourself.

Maybe I'd get better results if I isolated a leaf or flower.


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## nealtw (Jul 14, 2014)

like this ...............
I just googleed short lived flowers and went to images


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## slownsteady (Jul 15, 2014)

Awesome dude! That is exactly it. Wonder where it came from? Its a long way from NZ to NJ


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## nealtw (Jul 15, 2014)

I should have known what it was, I have a hibiscus that dies right off and dosn't start growing until the middle of June. It grows 7 ft by Sept. and has hugh red flowers for two days and then it's gone for the winter.


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## Wuzzat? (Jul 15, 2014)

nealtw said:


> Try this.
> http://www.oakleafgardening.com/problems/identify-a-weed/



I don't know how you did this, but it's definitely a keeper.


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## nealtw (Jul 15, 2014)

Wuzzat? said:


> I don't know how you did this, but it's definitely a keeper.



I thiought the leaves looked a little like oak so I google something like oak weed flower and came up with the weed site which has oak in the name. Lucky.


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## slownsteady (Jul 15, 2014)

That's what I get for trying to be fancy and and google a picture. A simple word description does the trick. Nice pickup on tuning in on the short flower life, neal.


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## CallMeVilla (Jul 16, 2014)

Can you help me with my mystery plant too?


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## carnuck (Jul 16, 2014)

How about this one?


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## nealtw (Jul 16, 2014)

CallMeVilla said:


> Can you help me with my mystery plant too?



That's Oldog with a new trick.:beer:


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## nealtw (Jul 16, 2014)

carnuck said:


> How about this one?



Passion flower.


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## oldognewtrick (Jul 16, 2014)

nealtw said:


> That's Oldog with a new trick.:beer:



...ha...ha


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## nealtw (Jul 16, 2014)

When an artist is teaching students to draw pansies, do not lean over and say," all the yosemite sams should be the right way up" oops


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## slownsteady (Jul 16, 2014)

Yeah, I shoulda known all the wise guys would show up........


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## nealtw (Aug 28, 2014)

Thought I would drop by with pic of the weed that grows at my house.


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## slownsteady (Aug 28, 2014)

cool. Is that the hibiscus that you mentioned a while back? That's pretty tall.
I ended up pulling that NZ hibiscus that I started this thread with. It was starting to get spiny. And I talked to a botany professor at Rutgers and she had no knowledge of the plant being anywhere in NJ. So I thought it might be safer to keep it that way.


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## nealtw (Aug 29, 2014)

A freind kept it in a bucket and stored it in the garage every winter and thought it was dead every spring. I told her it would do fine if she planted. The last time she thought it was dead I took it home and planted it. It's 7 ft tall.


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## chrisn (Aug 30, 2014)

I wish I had such fine looking "weeds":banana:


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## cherryrosh (Sep 12, 2014)

Nice flower but short living........
Nealtw, can you tell the proper name of the flower as you have Googled about it.


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## nealtw (Sep 12, 2014)

New Zealand hibiscus       White one
Hibiscus fragilis                Red one


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## nealtw (Aug 5, 2015)

Here is a weed you do want to watch out for,* DO NOT TOUCH IT*
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sysmrqw4sEo[/ame]


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## chrisn (Aug 6, 2015)

nealtw said:


> Here is a weed you do want to watch out for,* DO NOT TOUCH IT*
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sysmrqw4sEo



wow!


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## slownsteady (Aug 6, 2015)

That's one big plant. When they cut to the wide shot for the first time, I thought it was some kind of joke. Any idea if this is a northwest region problem or is it more widespread? I also wish she would have explained how to get rid of it, if you can't touch it.


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## slownsteady (Aug 6, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> cool. Is that the hibiscus that you mentioned a while back? That's pretty tall.
> I ended up pulling that NZ hibiscus that I started this thread with. It was starting to get spiny. And I talked to a botany professor at Rutgers and she had no knowledge of the plant being anywhere in NJ. So I thought it might be safer to keep it that way.



Since this thread floated back to the top, I thought I might update it. I pulled the New Zealand Hibiscus last summer, but this year I have pulled 5 or 6 small ones growing on my property - none very far from where the original one was. A few were in cracks in the driveway and a few more were on the edge of the lawn. It's easy to see how a plant can become colonized.


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## nealtw (Aug 6, 2015)

We had the hog weed growing beside the street down the road a few years ago and a few freinds were talking about getting a peice because they liked it. Then one day the city crew showed up in hasmat suits and removed it and then there was a big write up in the paper. When I was looking for that video there were some from other places so no it's not just here.


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## greenlady0 (Aug 16, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> This plant is growing in a large unused pot in our driveway. We have no idea what it is, but the flowers only seem to open for a hour or so before disappearing:
> 
> Any ideas?


Looks like a relative to the mallow sylvestris family You usually see them in pinks or purples in the nursery also one known as zebrinus that is purple/rose striped little smaller in real life than your photo but it looks like photo may be exaggerating the size a bit. Mallow moschetus is perennial hibiscus with a huge flower. This should narrow your search. Any of the flowers only open for a day. Rose of Sharon trees and shrubs are also related all have similar shape leaves and blooms Also hollyhocks are annuals that are related


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## slownsteady (Aug 17, 2015)

greenlady0 said:


> Looks like a relative to the mallow sylvestris family You usually see them in pinks or purples in the nursery also one known as zebrinus that is purple/rose striped little smaller in real life than your photo but it looks like photo may be exaggerating the size a bit. Mallow moschetus is perennial hibiscus with a huge flower. This should narrow your search. Any of the flowers only open for a day. Rose of Sharon trees and shrubs are also related all have similar shape leaves and blooms Also hollyhocks are annuals that are related



Thanks greenlady0, and welcome to the forum. There is much need for some expertise here, as it is an underserved section, IMO.

Have you read the rest of this thread? It seems likely that it is a New Zealand Hibiscus.


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## nealtw (Aug 24, 2015)

I did a garden tour on the weekend and saw your plant mature. About 8 ft tall and 10 ft across absolutely white with flowers. Looked good.


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## slownsteady (Aug 25, 2015)

Really? That's amazing. I thought it was an invader with no record. Sounds a lot like Rose of Sharon


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## nealtw (Aug 25, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> Really? That's amazing. I thought it was an invader with no record. Sounds a lot like Rose of Sharon



Same family.............


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