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Questions and Answers: 2022

Question: I had a plant pop up in my flower bed last year that got to be 6ft tall with really …

• Question

  I had a plant pop up in my flower bed last year that got to be 6ft tall with really large heart shaped leaves that were velvety. We identified it as a velvet leaf and the web said it was bad. It also said it was an annual. So why has it come back again this year. I live in north west Tennessee and I'm really confused because the web showed it having blooms and pods. This one didn't. Is possible that it's not a velvet leaf?

  Answer

  Dear Shirjean, good morning. Arbutilon theophrasti (velvetleaf) is a species of plant that can utilize human-disturbed habitats. It is frequent in areas of cultivation. It is able to store seeds in the seed bank, so removing a mature plant does not necessarily remove all of the seeds. Depending on how many are present, they could germinate for years to come. Without an image, I am not able to tell you what plant you observed. If more come, feel free to post an image so I can help you identify it. Best wishes.