loris it looks very familiar to me but downward pics are difficult because we can't see if the leaf arrangement is opposite or alternate. Also a big city name closest to your location is very helpful.

Thanks peren.all.

I'm about 30 minutes from Newark New Jersey. Since I notice you're from Ontario I'll also mention I'm about a 40 minute drive from the most southern part of New York City.

I think the leaves are whorled but I'll try to check tomorrow since it's dark out now.

I was just pulling some of these. Oenothera biennis, Common Evening Primrose. The white leaf midveins, alternate leaves in a whorling pattern. I sometimes let them vollunteer if they aren't in the way. Goldfinches like the seeds. I do grow Oenothera fruticosa and Oenothera pilosella. I've grown Oenothera macrocarpa in the past.

Thanks Jay! I thihk you're correct. I know my friend grows Oenothera biennis. My plant doesn't look like most of the pictures but I looked online and saw that the first year plants have leaves coming from a basal rosette.

I would not have guessed O biennis. There's no sense of scale. How big are these leaves?

Oh, I really didn't see the serration when I looked at it the 1st time. It does match Vernonia noveboracensis, sorry. That plant gets huge. Mine is 8ft tall.

The leaves look alternate to me. I've adding photos of the overall shape and the leaf veins on both the top and the bottom.

It does kind of look like a willow leaf, but I'm not aware of any willow that close to me.

Another question,. I pulled this out to give it a better chance at survival but got very little root. Would it be better off in water for a while, or should I just try to plant it?

Thanks. -- loris

"I'm not aware of any willow that close to me." Willow seeds are airborne and can travel quite a distance. But I don't think this is one.

Thanks again floral_uk. I just realized I didn't ask your question about size. The largest leaf is about 5" long by and inch wide and the entire plant is about 6 inches tall.

Yeah, that second set of photos rule out willow for me too. Vernonia sounds more likely to me.

I'll put the plant in some water for a while to try to get more roots before potting it up. If it has the right flowers in summer I may be able to confirm it's Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed). Thanks everyone for your help.

Just pot it up now. Putting it in water won't help it make more roots.

Thanks for the advice floral_uk. I'll do that.