What plant is this?

[Night Train]

We were sitting in my Dad's garden earlier and admiring his plants. This one none of us could identify. Any thoughts?

Dad has four of them in the garden and a few more starting off. He says he bought some bird feed and the birds discarded some seeds they didn't like, into some of his pots, and the seeds sprouted into these plants. He can't even remember what the seeds looked like.

Cheers.

 

[ianrauk]

looks like foxglove family

 

[Night Train]

We figured on Foxglove but they usually have long lines, or bundles, of flowers and these have a leaf under each flower. Arch was wondering if it was a uncultivated or wild variety.

 

[numbnuts]

triffid

 

[Archie_tect]

Wait til morning and climb up but watch out for giants...

 

[Norm]

I think Arch is correct and it is a wild foxglove. The garden cultivars tend to have the purple colour with the cluster of flowers at the top of the stem.

I'm sure you, and he, are aware but you should always be careful around those. The Latin name is digitalis, the wild ones can be pretty poisonous throughout the plant (leaves, flowers and seeds) and it's not a nice poison either.

 

[ianrauk]

We figured on Foxglove but they usually have long lines, or bundles, of flowers and these have a leaf under each flower. Arch was wondering if it was a uncultivated or wild variety.

I would say it's definitely some sort of Foxglove Digitalis. There's a lot of variation & varieties in the species.

 

[Archie_tect]

Heart stoppingly dangerous... wash hands well with soap.

 

[Cubist]

Looks like a perennial foxglove, but the leaves are usually a bit furrier than that! The flower shape suggests foxglove, but the leaves are more bean like. It could be a variety of runner or even broad bean.

 

[Night Train]

Is it just dangerous to the touch or are there further precautions we should take. Burning them maybe?

 

[TVC]

Is it just dangerous to the touch or are there further precautions we should take. Burning them maybe?

Just don't make tea out of it.

 

[ianrauk]

Is it just dangerous to the touch or are there further precautions we should take. Burning them maybe?

Nah, just don't ingest and wash hands after handling.
I love foxgloves and have a few fine specimens in my garden.

 

[Night Train]

Cheers, I'll remind my Dad, just in case.

 

[Hover Fly]

I think Arch is correct and it is a wild foxglove. The garden cultivars tend to have the purple colour with the cluster of flowers at the top of the stem.

British wild foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) are also like that.

I reckon it's one of the digitalis genus, there are many species, but obviously a foreigner, so I would still be careful regarding it being poisonous.

 

[biggs682]

another vote for digitalis family