my Mum has a mystery plant/weed. Do you know it?

Anyone know what it is? Its sprung up in her vege patch and is doing really well! She's hoping its a goodie as the flower is quite nice.
Sue

it has a seed capsule a bit like a gooseberry

and raggedy heart shaped leaves

Hi Sue. I think you will identify this as Nicandra physalodies.

Do a Google image search, then read back on the web notes.

Thanks Wayne, I've sent her a link to look at, but think she will be removing the plant as she has various foraging animals that could become poisoned.
How did you know it? Have you seen it before?
Sue

Good move Sue! :)

At first glance I took it for a weedy Datura, however consulted the "Bible"! :)

Weeds. An illustrated botanical guide to the weeds of Australia.
B.A. Auld and R.W. Medd
ISBN 0 909605 37 8

Uh-haa! That was a book on the reference list when I was at Tafe, but of course, not so easy to find! There was another weed she had too, white datura flower and prickly pods, but when I googled 'White flower + prickly pods' there it was, and as suspected, noxious and weedy. They were growing really nicely too, with her regularly watering and fertilising the vege bed! he he. Poor Mum.

That's the one Sue. I was a lucky guy to have access to a great collection of books as a student and now have them all here.

You really gave me a smile regarding the "white Datura flower" growing nicely at your Mum's... ... ...

Two years ago, a seedling sprouted at my parent's garden. My Mum wondered what it was, Dad thought it a weed. Anyway, up "it" shot to "Beanstalk Land"! :)

"It" is obviously a "weedy Solanum" of some kind, thinks Wayne!

Despite my love of other Solanaceae plants (Brugmansia), I gave the nod on 'it's" instant execution!

Fool me!

The plant was a local native species Solanum aviculare, the Kangaroo Apple! Mum and Dad live in a bushland valley here in Sydney. Many volunteer plants, native and otherwise come up from time to time!

When Solanum aviculare came up here (our garden), I researched a little further... ... ...
A wonderful plant! :))))))

Sue, I did let my parents know that I had made a mistake. The "peace offering" is seed from our plant here! :))))

(Acknowledge pix avatar from following URL)

http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://home.vicnet.net.au/~carlyn/solanum%2520aviculare%252002.jpg&imgrefurl=http://home.vicnet.net.au/~carlyn/solanum_aviculare.htm&usg=__2NyXr1qumjIkB1VfNeDUDhehOb8=&h=255&w=340&sz=10&hl=en&start=12&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=rbdkCUhcaoPqYM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsolanum%26hl%3Den%26cr%3DcountryAU%26rlz%3D1C1CHMA_en-GB___AU366%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1




This message was edited Feb 16, 2010 2:14 AM

Sue my knowledge of that plant is minimal .. But it is definitely a horrid weed.. I had it come up in the pigsty one year, I had never seen it before so thought it was a gooseberry or some kind of plant.. The pigs didn't touch it not even to just break it down. It was hard to get rid of it kept coming up every year for quite some time . I just pulled up the babies as they came through. If I remember right it also had a yuk smell..

The mystery plant is called Shoo Fly. Apparently bit was planted around fowl yards and pig stys and at the back door as it was good at keeping the flies away. I found it at a friends place so that is probably where I originally aquired the seeds..

Thanks Lesley. Mum pulled it out, but I'll warn her that it maight ome up again. She said she has never seen it before, and not even around the neighbourhood!
Sue