The Tortoise Table

Sprouted in a bucket of soil in the garden it's grown about 2ft tall[attachment=2]20200915_113655.jpg[/attachment][attachment=1]20200915_113709.jpg[/attachment][attachment=0]20200915_114631.jpg[/attachment]
Thanks

Hi ladies I seem to be having problems with loading messages so you may not have seen my post from 15 Sept. Just looking for an id on a weed.
Thanks

Hi Teddy28.
So sorry for not getting back to you.

The plant we think is one of the many Nyjer plants that often comes from wild birdseed, so if you feed the birds that is where it is from.
It is one of the plants on our list of to do entrys so we will research it later today and let you know our findings.

Lin

So sorry that we missed your original post on 15 September!

I've had a good look and I think that if it is Nyger (Guizotia abyssinica) is probably fine for tortoises (although to be on the safe side I wouldn't feed a lot of it). Is the pot under or near a bird feeder? The seed shouldn't germinate as it's supposed to be heat treated, but we certainly know of other cases of Nyger sprouting near a bird feeder.

Actually, Lin and Iwere a bit unsure as to whether this is actually Nyger ((Guizotia abyssinica) or one of the Beggar Ticks (Bidens), because some varieties of both species have similar looking flowers and leaves. If there is a seed head on the plant that would tell for sure. In any case, Bidens is also a moderate feed, so I think you are safe no matter what it is.

Hope that helps,
Nina

Thanks ladies, yes it is near our bird feeders although we only have peanuts and sunflower seeds in the feeders however it's quite likely some of our feathered visitors have eaten elsewhere then pooped in our garden.
That certainly seems to be what happened with the wild lettuce which sprouted in Boris s outdoor enclosure earlier this year, carried in by one of the many wood pigeons.
Thanks again. I may offer him a flower head but Boris being Boris, if it's not a juicy sow thistle flower, he'll probably give it one of his looks and sit on it!!

Looks like Nyjer plant but need more pictures to make sure