Have you any idea what these are?

[Sylvan]

I have dozens of these in my pots.

I think they may be tree seedlings, but I've no idea what tree they could possibly be.

Just worried they may turn out to be a noxious weed...

[Two_Sheds]

I've no idea what tree they could possibly be.

Any idea what trees you have nearby?


Unless you particularly want trees, hoik them out

[Sylvan]

Not seen aught with leaves like that.

If they're trees we'll plant them in pots and grow them on for the coppice. If they're some sort of noxious, poisonous or irritant weed we need to hoik them out and dispose of them.

[mothhawk]

They look like sycamore (acer) seedlings to me. The first true leaves are not palmate. When the next pair of leaves appear they will look more familiar

[Sylvan]

Thanks Mothhawk

[phlorum]

Doesn't look like Japanese knotweed (thankfully) I checked it

[BertieFox]

Do you have beech nearby? I would opt for either sycamore or beech, but they ARE definitely tree seedlings. I recognise all of them but like you find it difficult to put a definite name to them. They are certainly not anything noxious.

[andy_j]

Definitely sycamore seedlings. The one in the second photo with grey/green leaves in the middle of the photo is Linaria purpurea or toadflax

[WPG]

Hi folks. A colleague has asked me whether this is Japanese knotweed. He only noticed it in his back garden today, but suspects there could be a knotweed problem in his neighbourhood. If it is the dreaded weed, should he weedkill this plant, or try to dig it out and burn? At this stage there's only one of these in his garden, so whatever it is hasn't spread yet.

[Martin H]

It definitely looks like JK. I would dig it up and burn it on site in the back garden then keep a watchful eye for any re-growth. If that's the only piece he may well get all of it in one go. Definitely don't move it just to be safe.

[WPG]

OK - I'll pass that on. Many thanks Martin.

[BertieFox]

We have had it for ten years and the only thing that keeps it in check is a thicket of very vigorous bamboo! Even so, I send the wife out with a mattock every two weeks or so during the summer and she hacks it down to the ground, which keeps it from spreading. Sometimes there is none in evidence at all, but like horsetail, once you have it, you have it for ever. I understand that repeated applications of glyphosate to the bruised leaves will kill it off, but we can't do that as it is near a water course, and in any case, glyphosate kills masses of invertebrates and is harmful to aquatic life particularly.

[Bill HH]

Yup sycamore, pot them up, let them grow to 2 or three feet high, the prune them down to six inches and you will have a Bonsai.