Please Name this Plant/Weed

Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)

6 years ago

This plant/weed has come up very quickly. It has some characteristics of pentas lanceolata but I don't think it is a pentas. (The plant behind it is a pentas.) Growing in heat and humidity of Florida. Does anyone know what this is? It looks like it will bloom soon and it may be easier to identify once I have a flower photo.

Thanks for the help!

Carol in Jacksonville

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Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
Original Author

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Thanks for all of the help, everyone. I feel obligated to tell you that it is a pentas! The past few years, I have had something relatively new happening in the gardens - pentas volunteers. This is apparently one of them. It bloomed and then there was no doubt. 😁

I am now noticing that quite a few of the volunteers have larger and more lime-green colored leaves.

The white-bloomers are usually short-lived. They look extremely healthy and then suddenly get some disease (or nematodes?) and die.

I have become a huge fan of pentas and finally learned a fool-proof method of propagating (after chasing after and drooling over the gorgeous pentas of Anna and others who posted here, many years ago). I was propagating them all summer long. It was one of my COVID-19 pastimes.

Happy fall gardening, everyone!

Carol in Jacksonville

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Comments (11)

orchidrain
6 years ago
Kind of looks like pokeweed.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked orchidrain
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Def. NOT pokeweed.

Or was that joking, because it seems like almost every unknown @ Name That Plant turns out to be pokeweed?

The central new growth reminds me of something in the sunflower family, and the lower mature leaves remind me of my Justicia carnea, but that has smooth leaves.

I guess waiting for it to bloom will be more helpful...
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
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dbarron
6 years ago
Looks like one of the ruellias to me.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked dbarron
tropicbreezent
6 years ago
I think Ruellia as well.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked tropicbreezent
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I don't think I've ever seen a ruellia with leaves like that.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
tropicbreezent
6 years ago
Ruellia tuberosa is close to that. In the photos above the upper /newer leaves are 'crinklier' than the lower leaves which is a bit different. Makes me think they may have been affected by something. Otherwise, the lower leaves are very much like R. tuberosa. I had it but finally managed to get rid of it all. It tends to be a very persistent weed.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked tropicbreezent
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
6 years ago
Here are some images I found of Ruellia tuberosa, to compare...
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
tannatonk23_fl_z9a
5 years ago
Fellow Penta lover here too! Hi Carol! Right now i only have tall red ones that are my favorite. I hope to start a half dozen cuttings tomorrow after I get a bag of medium. How do you start yours? I had planned on using the rooting powder method since I haven’t had real good luck with just starting in water.

Thats interesting you have volunteers. Never seen that before but it doesn’t surprise me! This month its 16 years I’ve been gardening at this home and I have to say I learn something new every week with regards to Florida gardening.

My front beds/yard is in the process of a big re-do but I did have the short (18”) dark pink Pentas there that came back bigger and better each year. They’re a great plant for the bees and butterflies. Hummingbirds seem to ignore all except for the tall reds.

The one plant I have a love/hate relationship with is purple porter weed. Now there’s one that throws volunteers everywhere! Great if you have the space for it. Easy to pull and transplant though.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked tannatonk23_fl_z9a
four (9B near 9A)
5 years ago
> learned a fool-proof method of propagating Please tell.
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL) thanked four (9B near 9A)
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
Original Author
5 years ago
@four (9B near 9A) and all my other gardening friends,

I finally got around to posting my Pentas lanceolata propagation method. I put it in a new post. Here is a link:

Propagation: Rooting Pentas Lanceolata Cuttings

Happy gardening!

Carol in Jacksonville