Question: I don't think this is a wild plant, but the person asking me to id it, didn't plant it. I …
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Question
I don't think this is a wild plant, but the person asking me to id it, didn't plant it. I have never seen one like it and can't find it thru the key. It's in Alfred, Maine, under trees in aside yard, has come up and is multiplying each year, seen in this photo before flower stem elongates. Do you think it's a cultivated plant? I think it might be.
Answer
Dear PASmith-Annaclette, good morning. The plant pictured here is Petasites japonicus (Japanese sweet-coltsfoot). It is a plant that has escaped cultivation in the northeast, and is invasive in one location in ME. Once the flowers pass, very large leaves will be produced during the remainder of the growing season. Best wishes.
