Hi,

I live in Northern Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (zone six I believe) and I
saw some very attractive plants that looked like they should have been in a
pot by the side of the road today.

They were from one to two feet tall and had thick, soft, red stems. The
leaves all came out of the single stalk and looked like the top of a palm
tree except they continued down the stalk a ways. The leaves were long -
maybe six inches - and thin - about 3/4 inch - dark, leathery green with
white veins.

We have had a couple of good frosts so most plants are down for the winter
but these looked very comfortable growing out of the grass. There were
several of them growing side by side.

I looked around a little for a picture of something similar but didn't have
any luck. Any guidance you might give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

I suppose nobody can identify it from your overly technical use of precise
scientific terminology.

So it looks just like a palm tree but completely different and is a two foot
tree at that?


Dan Stanley wrote in message
...
Hi,

I live in Northern Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (zone six I believe) and I
saw some very attractive plants that looked like they should have been in
a
pot by the side of the road today.

They were from one to two feet tall and had thick, soft, red stems. The
leaves all came out of the single stalk and looked like the top of a palm
tree except they continued down the stalk a ways. The leaves were long -
maybe six inches - and thin - about 3/4 inch - dark, leathery green with
white veins.

We have had a couple of good frosts so most plants are down for the winter
but these looked very comfortable growing out of the grass. There were
several of them growing side by side.

I looked around a little for a picture of something similar but didn't
have
any luck. Any guidance you might give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

So it looks just like a palm tree but completely different and is a two foot
tree at that?

Ornamental kale?

Thank you for the suggestion. I checked for pictures of ornamental kale and
it is not it.

This plant is tall and thin like a little tree with leaves coming out of the
"trunk."
The leaves are long and less than an inch wide. They hang down gracefully
and make a symetrical shape.

I am going to transplant one today to a pot and then I will be able to get a
more detailed description.
-Dan

"IntarsiaCo" wrote in message
...
So it looks just like a palm tree but completely different and is a two
foot
tree at that?

Ornamental kale?

Considering what one might compare to a miniature palm tree, Cyperus comes
to mind. If it is a Cyperus species be forewarned that they can be noxious
weeds. Species identification can be difficult as it is a very large genus
with over 600 species. A neighbor down the street let a wild one grow on in
their garden as an ornamental until it spread so rapidly it almost choked
out everything else.

Dan Stanley wrote in message
...
Hi,

I live in Northern Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (zone six I believe) and I
saw some very attractive plants that looked like they should have been in
a
pot by the side of the road today.

They were from one to two feet tall and had thick, soft, red stems. The
leaves all came out of the single stalk and looked like the top of a palm
tree except they continued down the stalk a ways. The leaves were long -
maybe six inches - and thin - about 3/4 inch - dark, leathery green with
white veins.

We have had a couple of good frosts so most plants are down for the winter
but these looked very comfortable growing out of the grass. There were
several of them growing side by side.

I looked around a little for a picture of something similar but didn't
have
any luck. Any guidance you might give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

Ornamental kale? BRBR

Hardly. It was growing wild out in the country, & the leaves were up and down a
two foot stalk. He ought to find a Web site & post a picture of it.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Hi,
Thanks for your suggestion. The picture I found of the Cyperus Papyrus L.
that I found is the closest match I have made although it is definitely not
it. The plant I want to identify has a thicker and completely vertical, red
stalk. The leaves are dark green, about half an inch wide with white veins.
I wish I had a digital camera so I could post a photo. The picture of the
Cyperus Papyrus L. is posted he
http://epec.org/0021B.jpeg
-Dan


"Cereoid-UR12-" wrote in message
. com...
Considering what one might compare to a miniature palm tree, Cyperus comes
to mind. If it is a Cyperus species be forewarned that they can be noxious
weeds. Species identification can be difficult as it is a very large genus
with over 600 species. A neighbor down the street let a wild one grow on
in
their garden as an ornamental until it spread so rapidly it almost choked
out everything else.

Dan Stanley wrote in message
...
Hi,

I live in Northern Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (zone six I believe) and
I
saw some very attractive plants that looked like they should have been
in
a
pot by the side of the road today.

They were from one to two feet tall and had thick, soft, red stems. The
leaves all came out of the single stalk and looked like the top of a
palm
tree except they continued down the stalk a ways. The leaves were long -
maybe six inches - and thin - about 3/4 inch - dark, leathery green with
white veins.

We have had a couple of good frosts so most plants are down for the
winter
but these looked very comfortable growing out of the grass. There were
several of them growing side by side.

I looked around a little for a picture of something similar but didn't
have
any luck. Any guidance you might give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

We need more clues. Some of the clues you gave might suggest pokeweed
(Phytolacca americana). The palm tree thing and the narrow leaves
contraindicates pokeweed, but maybe it's a weird form of poke with narrow leaves
clustered at the top. Palm tree is a description that's in the eye of the
beholder. Cut open the stem. Is it hollow or pithy or what? Are the plants
connected to each other by the roots?

Could be a Euphorbia - like gopher plant.

Dan Stanley wrote:
Hi,

I live in Northern Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (zone six I believe) and I
saw some very attractive plants that looked like they should have been in a
pot by the side of the road today.

They were from one to two feet tall and had thick, soft, red stems. The
leaves all came out of the single stalk and looked like the top of a palm
tree except they continued down the stalk a ways. The leaves were long -
maybe six inches - and thin - about 3/4 inch - dark, leathery green with
white veins.

We have had a couple of good frosts so most plants are down for the winter
but these looked very comfortable growing out of the grass. There were
several of them growing side by side.

I looked around a little for a picture of something similar but didn't have
any luck. Any guidance you might give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

Euphorbia lathyris, the so called "Gopher Plant" has paired leaves,
distinctly 4 ranked, the whole plant is glaucous and looks nothing like what
Dan describes.

Even though Euphorbia is a very large genus, none of the native ones or
introduced weedy ones could even remotely be described as looking like a
palm tree.


JPittman wrote in message
hlink.net...
Could be a Euphorbia - like gopher plant.

Dan Stanley wrote:
Hi,

I live in Northern Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (zone six I believe) and
I
saw some very attractive plants that looked like they should have been
in a
pot by the side of the road today.

They were from one to two feet tall and had thick, soft, red stems. The
leaves all came out of the single stalk and looked like the top of a
palm
tree except they continued down the stalk a ways. The leaves were long -
maybe six inches - and thin - about 3/4 inch - dark, leathery green with
white veins.

We have had a couple of good frosts so most plants are down for the
winter
but these looked very comfortable growing out of the grass. There were
several of them growing side by side.

I looked around a little for a picture of something similar but didn't
have
any luck. Any guidance you might give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan