I have been watching this thing grow since mid-June. It's about 8 feet tall now About 8 feet tall ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) Thick single stem with bristles, growing straight to the stars Section of thick stem. ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) It has stopped growing up and the top 2 feet has sprouted multiple, thin stems. Top 2 feet or so with other stems ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) Each stem looks like this .... Thin stem with green buds? ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) I never purposely bought the plant or the seeds so I am thinking one of the local grackles might have planted it as revenge for my not putting out sunflower seeds for them. Or one of the Sparrows planted it as a thank you for not feeding the grackles who tend to hog the feeders when I used to put out sunflower seeds.
I tried to remember where I had seen this plant. I walked outside and guess what,, I have a crop of them along my back fence. And one that is growing with them that is a bit different,, weird fuzzy head and leaves that grow downward instead of up. So what I said was right,,,Giant Texas Weed. Need to warm up my weed eater. Or chop down and sell for firewood. LOL
Thanks Carolyn, your suggestion got me to looking to the Solidago Genus and I think I found it. Not a weed, it's a Texas native....and native to most of the eastern half of the country too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidago_altissima Could be Salidago gigantea but the stem and leaves are a bit different. I don't cut down or pull up just all weeds, if this is indeed Solidago_altissima and I should know sometime this fall when it blooms, then it gets to stay since it is valuable at attracting native bees and also apparently attracts predatory insects that prey insect pests.
Looks like it might be Lythrum salicaria, purple loosestrife. I think they are really pretty with the pink flowers, but can be considered an invasive species. Do you think that this might be it???
Ha Ha, in the first pic I thought it had purple flowers because of the tree behind it. What color are the flowers?
I was afraid that would happen, that's why I wanted a photo of the top part with the plain background Hasn't bloomed it, the buds that you see are just forming.
I looked at the goldenrod just starting to grow here and I have both kinds....The tall spikey one and the plume kind. So, I am still leaning towards the goldenrod family.
I'll keep an eye on the blooms as they open more, they are tiny and white. There is one relatively clear bloom upper left of the very center of the photo... white blooms ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) There is a Solidago bicolor that has white and yellow blooms, just have to wait until these blooms open further.
