Found this flower. ID and advice

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Kyle GoldCoast
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Found this flower. ID and advice

Post by Kyle GoldCoast »

Was mowing the lawn the other day after uni and saw this plant next to my driveway growing from the gravel. Single stem and single flower when I saw it and I had a spare pot so I potted it up and this is a couple days later.
It spouted a second flower stem from the top and now the bottom 2 leaves have yellowed. Any idea what plant it is and if it would be good in a pot, potentially as a bonsai way down the track?
IMG_9766.JPG
IMG_9767.JPG
Thought it was a nice plant since it has a single stem and single flower with more coming through now. It must be a quick growing plant because thats the first I've seen it and I use my driveway every day, but it was the bright flower that caught my eye.
Thoughts?
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Mikebot
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Re: Found this flower. ID and advice

Post by Mikebot »

Looks like Catharanthus roseus which is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland. They are very good at self seeding hence why it randomly popped up. They are short lived, don't grow higher than 1m and aren't a woody plant. Not much use treating it like a bonsai!
Kevin
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Re: Found this flower. ID and advice

Post by Kevin »

Hello Kyle,

I believe you have a Balsam / Impatiens plant.
A very hardy and attractive plant.
Sorry, no good for bonsai.
However, an extremely attractive plant for container growing.

Kevin
Kevin
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Re: Found this flower. ID and advice

Post by Kevin »

I apologise Kyle,

Mikebot's ID of Catharanthus roseus appears to be an accurate ID.
Looks like i've been mislabelling this plant for years. :lost:

Kevin
Last edited by Kevin on February 22nd, 2018, 7:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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