It almost has to be since it's growing several inches each day. I'll provide a little background. I began seeing a plate-sized patch of shoots, purplish red in mid February that really didn't start growing until a few weeks ago. I don't remember if I planted something last year that I thought had died. There was a huge sunflower that grew in this spot last spring and summer, I didn't think the leaves were the same, but maybe it's a sunflower?
Closeup of leaves:
one of the Veronicas maybe? I have two that are looking about like that... Let it stay and see what blooms.
Here is an overall picture of the plant. It is 12 to 14 inches in height right now. Please excuse the dirty wall behind the plant.
My guess is "weed"... looks vaguely familiar to the local weeds here.
When I first saw it I thought sunflower, and then when you said there was a sunflower there already ... but that second pic looks kinda weedy. LOL guess how patient you are!
I let my little one spread a wldflower mix in one of my beds so now I'm out there every day going yank or not to yank. I'm either going to have very colorful bed or a very weedy bed don't know which!
Looks like Eupatorium - Joe Pye Weed or Boneset - probably E. serotinum though. I had one come up in my yard last year, expecting it to bloom Purple like Joe Pye Weed. I transplanted it to the slope by the creek and it grew about 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. It bloomed with white blooms though and I believe it was E. serotinum .
http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/euse2.htm http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1120097
And it's a perennial because it's returning from the roots this year.
I think Sweezel is right, you have a beautiful healthy plant there.
Ah, now I remember. It did have clusters of tiny white blooms last year, I just didn't notice until I had pulled the huge sunflower out...thanks! This early senility drives me nuts!
I still would call it a weed. If it takes over your other plants, pull it.
Christi
I have hundreds of those misplaced wild devils. I mass murdered a big bunch today. Even small ones have roots from hell......
