I was wondering if anyone out there can identify this plant. It just popped up a while ago,
if you can see it.. it has two different leafs popping out. any help will be appreciated.
thank-you

I don't know what the taller one is, but the ground hugging one looks like a spurge. It pops up everywhere around here.

Thank-you for your reply; however the "spurge" or whatever it is, is sharing the same stem
as the taller one. do you think it is some kind of parasite?
once again, thanks.

Pull the spurge and make sure you don't have 2 plants there. The larger leaf looks tradescantia-ish. At least to me.

Looks like possibly a gloriosa lily and a mimosa tree seedling.

Thank-you Zencat, but as I mentioned, I cannot pull the spurge, as it is sharing the same stem.
so this seems to be a first for me, as I have never seen two different plants sharing the same stem.
very strange indeed.
thanks..

I think they are 2 separate, immediately adjacent plants.

The smaller plant could be a spurge (Euphorbia,) white sap inside (latex) would be a clue supporting that theory (and be something you'd want to wash off of your skin.)

This could be an example of juvenile to adult transformation. The difference between juvenile and adult forms are usually much more subtle; it's rather uncommon to see such a huge differentiation. If the "two" are truly the same stem, let me apologize to you, Tom, for everyone's insistence that we can see better in a photograph than what you can see first hand.
I don't have a clue as to what the plant actually is, though.

Here is an example of seedlings I grew that are transforming form the juvenile to the adult stage.
--- the yellow arrow shows the cotyledons
--- the red arrow shows the juvenile foliage
--- the blue arrow shows the adult foliage

I have come across some plants which do this, maybe Acacia or another in the same family.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w...

https://www.google.co.uk/searc...

Acacia koa, note location ..

http://www.discoverlife.org/20...

http://www.marinelifephotograp...

They sure look like two entirely different plants to my eyes also but my eyes aren't what they used to be. You could dig the entire thing up and gently remove all soil from the roots and "tease" the roots apart to see if perhaps you do indeed have two separate plants. If that were the case I'd pot each up separately and watch as they mature to see what they turn out to be. My first thought was possibly a Cassia seedling for the small plant but it's not that.

There are a few varieties of Acacia that grow in the San Diego area. I googled for seedling images and found a couple of photos for comparison:


https://plantasmagorical.files...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi...

Scroll down this page for listings and photos for San Diego Acacia: http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bi...

Lin ... see my previous two posts. the 'leaves' are actually phyllodes, a flattened stem. They grow first on their own, then the compound acacia type leaves grow from the tips. You will see examples in the links I provided.

If you look closely at the two lower "fronds" you can see that they do indeed connect to the main stem (I used a magnifying glass to reassure myself that it is indeed true). It also casts a shadow on the ground. There appears to be a little "tuft" at the connection as does the other large leaves.

Good sleuthing, Super Sleuth.

Thanks Janet! I hadn't even clicked on your links and those are good photo examples! I was even beginning to think it was a weed like Phyllanthus but I believe you nailed it with Acacia koa and they do have that species growing at the San Diego Zoo! http://www.sandiegozoo.org/CF/... as well as a few other varieties: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/CF/...

This has been the best "What is it" I have followed here on ATP!

Wow!! thank-you for all those replies. I am now also of the opinion it may be the (Acacia koa),
for now, I'm just going to let it grow, as it seems happy and see what happens.
I will post more pics as time goes by. Again, thanks much..

I look forward to seeing photos as your plant matures!

Me too!

I was thinking acacia too. We have several varieties up near Santa cruz that do the same thing.. I.remember the first time I saw it I was awed by the wonder and beauty of nature. I proudly showed the seeding growing in my garden to my horticultural mentor, and she said that I better pull it up before I regretted it. It was a black wood Acacia, which is not a good tree in the opinion of most.

Acacia melanoxylon is also possible!

http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bi...

https://sandiegotreemap.org/sd...