Mystery Plant?

Question

A large plant appeared in our front garden this spring and is now over 5 feet tall. Can you identify this plant? I have posted photos and details on a web page at http://www.robertsewell.ca/plant/

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

poke salad

Answer 2

Wow, what a beauty and really excellent photos.

I would just warn you to clip off the seed heads in case the thing takes over your whole garden next year. Sorry, can't help with ID, we don't have any in southern England!

Answer 3

Pokeweed - the fruits just aren't well developed enough to cause the tips of the stems to droop yet.

http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/Sur...

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symb...

You probably had a bird that had eaten some berries that spend some time in the shrub next to the plant and it "deposited" some seeds.

Answer 4

It looks like some kind of sumac to me.

http://landscaping.about.com/b/2007/07/1...

Answer 5

It's a poisonous weed! It's related to nightshade. We have that here too! On the source go down the list. Until you see it. It's a relative of the tomato plant but  don't eat any part of it.