UNKNOWN PLANT

Hi Guys, Need some help! This little plant has popped up in my garden. It is about 6 inches high and has recently started flowering. The flowers are small and yellow and the leaves are tiny, dark green and wrinkled like silverbeet. Can anyone identify it? Ta, Jo, Perth, Western Australia

Could it be curly leaf Endive. Don't try to eat it without a proper ID. ^_^ (or even curly leafed Kale.)

chrissy

Hi Chrissy, Definitely not endive or kale. The leaves are thick, quite hard and very small. Thanks for trying to help. I'm determined to find out what is though:)

Jo

It kind of looks like a tomato or potato plant that is infected by disease or bugs. If you open up one of the curled leaves, you might find a bug in there or a fungus. It also could be herbicide residue damage. Have you added soil or compost from an unknown source? My advice would be to dispose of the plant. If it was me, I would get it as far from my place as possible. DO NOT put it in your compost!

The flowers sure do look tomatoish. I'd break off a leaf and smell it. See what the break does, what the sap looks like coming out. Some more detailed photos would be nice.
It looks like a healthy plant from the photo, just curly. I'm a little adventurous so I'd probably even have a nibble.

Hi guys, Thanks for the responses.
ilv2grdn - the plant is extremely healthy and no bugs at all (had a look with a magnifying glass ha ha).
Vachtra - I broke off a couple of branches with great difficulty - It's very tough for such a tiny plant (about half a ruler). Rubbed a leaf and it doesn't smell like anything (yet). I've attached a couple more pics. The black stuff is composting mulch I gave to the orange tree this morning and dropped it all over the mystery plant. The flowers are growing from the stalk. Guess I might have to wait and see what eventuates with the flowers. Just a little scared as its very close to the trunk of my young orange tree.
Jo:)

Bit more info. It came from my compost I think. Also, I had tomato plants in that area last summer. Its looking a bit like a cross between tomato and silverbeet, ha ha What do I do with it? Wait for it to produce something or get rid of it?
Jo:)

Could it be a tomato affected by weedkiller? Those are definitely Tomato flowers or one of that family.

I thought of that too, but the leaves should smell like tomato leaves even if that is the case.

A bit of a puzzle !

chrissy

Was this puzzle solved Italian59? Interested to hear. Colleen