Need help identifying a plant

shllnzl
shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

This plant popped up in some wheatgrass that I purchased for my indoor cats.

I did not throw it out as it may be a useful plant. I have been watering it, hoping it would grow into a something recognizable

.

Does anyone recognize it? Is it worth my continued care?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Comments

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Difficult to tell from this pic. Are the leaves shiny or matte? I can see a central vein but is there an other veining? Is it darker or lighter on the underside of the leaves? Are the leaves alternate or opposite? How big is it? A bit difficult to tell without knowing how big the pot is. How quickly did it grow?

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @torey Good questions. I had transplanted the wheatgrass into soil, so this guy took at least a couple of weeks to be visible. It is currently around 8 inches high. It has a woody stem and these weird droopy leaves. I think it is a baby tree or shrub. It only has a single leaf on the lower stem.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Thanks for the close-up. You can really see the veining in this shot. No idea what it is, though. I do agree with your assessment that it is some sort of shrub with the woody stem. Do you live near a university? They are usually good resources for plant identification.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    This site looks like it could help you id your tiny sapling and more. There are lots of pdfs, but I think that you could find them very interesting.

    https://mchsscience.weebly.com/plant-identification.html

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The oftener I look at it, the more it looks like our former baby Avocado tree ( ? )

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow I would be so excited if it was an avocado. Looks like I will need to transplant it into a larger pot and wait for developments. Does avocado have droopy leaves? Those leaves have never lifted, even with fresh water.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl - Depending on how long this adorable cute 1 has been growing, when you do Transplant it, it could still have part of a large Avocado-seed left in its beginning root-system, at which point Yes, you could well have your ID :)

    With my 1st. one: I sprouted the seed first in water, (but they also can start just in soil), before Transplanting it twice. - And the 1st. time it still had the Identifiable-seed enough there. And yes, when the shade/sun exposure wasn't quite right for it's development, it did have droopy leaves but also too in the beginning, but Grow it did, to 4 feet. - I''ve looked thru my 1+Gb. Garden-photos library trying to find you a photo but not yet.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited November 2019

    @shllnzl I'm pretty sure it isn't an avocado (sorry). The leaves are too narrow & pointed. I have 2 growing here in the house (the picture isn't the best). I included this picture to give you an idea of leaf shape, how the leaves are set off the trunk, veining and leaf edges. Its trunk also doesn't look right.

    The leaves droop more with less water, but lift no more than what you see.

    I think that you have more ongoing research to do on your green mystery friend, although, seeing as there are different varieties, I could be wrong. @rainbow is correct in that you would find the seed casing at the base just under the soil should it be an avocado.

  • csinclair461
    csinclair461 Posts: 159 ✭✭✭

    I have an app on my phone called Seek. It is my favorite plant/bug identifier. I ran this by it, but it couldn’t identify it yet.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @csinclair461 Thanks for trying. Looks like I will have to tend the little plant until it grows up into something I can identify. Hopefully I will not end up with a noxious weed.

  • csinclair461
    csinclair461 Posts: 159 ✭✭✭

    @shllnzl I have gotten to know most of the plants in my yard this way. They have all turned out to be pleasant surprises. 6 years ago, I could only identify dandelions, heh.

  • VickiP
    VickiP Posts: 586 ✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl If you use face book there is group that I go to from time to time. It is "PLANT IDENTIFICATION DISCUSSION UNCENSORED POST ANYTHING LEGAL" They don't always have answers and your plant is so young nobody in the group may recognize it, but it is worth a try.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have accomplished a little detective work. Today I bought another container of wheatgrass. It is produced in San Diego, so I did a little research on native shrubs for that area. The seedling is most likely a manzanita. Time will tell as I let it mature.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    If you are right, you have a great plant from what I read! It can be used medicinally & for food. Cool. 😊 What a bonus!

  • alindsay22
    alindsay22 Posts: 129 ✭✭✭

    From CA - I don't think it's a manzanita. Try the app INaturalist, it will identify it for you.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alindsay22 Thanks, I will.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    I agree. INaturalist is a good app.