Volunteer id in Southern California garden

[Tracy]

This plant started growing several months ago at the foot of my Chrysalidocarpus before.  Initially the leaves had fewer lobes and I assumed it could be either a mellon or squash.  I left it in but it hasn't flowered.  I have been meaning to compare leaves with a plant that grows on the. Coastal bluffs nearby with large white flowers. That plant's name evades me right now so I can't just look it up.  Anyone recognize it?  It looks so familiar. 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

This plant started growing several months ago at the foot of my Chrysalidocarpus before.  Initially the leaves had fewer lobes and I assumed it could be either a mellon or squash.  I left it in but it hasn't flowered.  I have been meaning to compare leaves with a plant that grows on the. Coastal bluffs nearby with large white flowers. That plant's name evades me right now so I can't just look it up.  Anyone recognize it?  It looks so familiar. 

 

Not 100%  but, looking at the leaves,  first thing that popped into my head is a Fig ( Ficus carica ) seedling..

Note the resemblance / differences between:  https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/60218-Ficus-carica
 

[Tracy]

25 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Not 100%  but, looking at the leaves,  first thing that popped into my head is a Fig ( Ficus carica ) seedling..

Note the resemblance / differences between:  https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/60218-Ficus-carica
 

I considered that because I have a Ficus carica on the other side of the driveway.   This has 7 lobes on the largest leaves versus my mature Fig only has 5 lobes.  This didn't go deciduous like my fig tree either.  I haven't noticed copious amounts of the white latex sap when it is trimmed that is characteristic of figs either.  I was also confused by the prone growth habit.

My Ficus carica has already dropped over 50 % of its foliage approaching winter.  My younger dog that normally only eats grass has been munching on the volunteer recently, but other than that, it isn't losing leaves and was continuing to grow.   He vomits up the leaves but I am still interested in the id of anything he puts in his mouth.  I am contemplating removing it to eliminate the risk of him ingested more of it.  

The younger leaves have 5 lobes like my fig though.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

I considered that because I have a Ficus carica on the other side of the driveway.   This has 7 lobes on the largest leaves versus my mature Fig only has 5 lobes.  This didn't go deciduous like my fig tree either.  I haven't noticed copious amounts of the white latex sap when it is trimmed that is characteristic of figs either.  I was also confused by the prone growth habit.

My Ficus carica has already dropped over 50 % of its foliage approaching winter.  My younger dog that normally only eats grass has been munching on the volunteer recently, but other than that, it isn't losing leaves and was continuing to grow.   He vomits up the leaves but I am still interested in the id of anything he puts in his mouth.  I am contemplating removing it to eliminate the risk of him ingested more of it.  

The younger leaves have 5 lobes like my fig though.

Depending on age, have noticed that the leaves on Figs can be quite variable.. Here's one of several observations of a specimen w/ 7 lobed leaves..  Can have as few as one.  Can also vary on when / if they drop leaves.  Sapling like that hugging the ground would probably hold it's leaves a bit longer than one that is more upright / exposed to the elements.  Neighbor's specimens are still green atm despite a few cool mornings so far here.





1 of a few shots in the photo gallery of these hugging the ground rather than growing more upright as well..




At that size, i wouldn't be surprised if you see it attempting fruit development by next spring -if it is legit, and you left it in place.. Regardless, where it is + attracting attention from four legged family members / resulting in adverse response when consumed by...  = would be enough to yank it.. 

Despise them myself so not an ounce of hesitation  tossing it in the trash.

[Billeb]

@Tracy first thing to come to mind when looking at your pictures without reading others comments was fig of some kind. 
 

Looks like others have concurred. 
 

-dale 

[DoomsDave]

@Tracy I concur with @Silas_Sancona and @Billeb that your plant looks at least related to edible figs. 

[Chester B]

Fig for sure. The different varieties have a wide variation in leaf shape. 

[Motlife]

If it's evergreen and shrubby, isn't it more likely to be Fatsia japonica? They're very common here in NZ, is it the same in cali? 

[Jonathan]

21 hours ago, Motlife said:

If it's evergreen and shrubby, isn't it more likely to be Fatsia japonica? They're very common here in NZ, is it the same in cali? 

That was my initial thought as well. Its a dead ringer.

Two reasons I don't think it's an edible fig are the fact that it's evergreen and it's a seedling. I don't  know about California, but down here we don't have the correct pollinator wasps so they never set seed. Maybe you do? 

[Silas_Sancona]

22 hours ago, Motlife said:

If it's evergreen and shrubby, isn't it more likely to be Fatsia japonica? They're very common here in NZ, is it the same in cali? 

Very common in CA, but this definitely isn't a Fatsia.. Look closely at how the leaves are shaped compared to the iNat photos posted, and the specimen in question..

Fatsia:




From the Photo Gallery:





...And yes, some Figs do hold onto their leaves nearly all year..  As mentioned, a neighbors, ..and a few others planted in yards nearby ..are still green,  in November..

Some examples of Figs  -with leaves still attached-  in December ....and February...

[mnorell]

Tracy, I also concur that this looks like a Ficus (likely F. carica). The leaves are indeed quite variable and there are other similar species (e.g., Ficus palmata aka F. pseudocarica, et al.) that if I'm not mistaken have also been used in hybridization, plus also just the act of selection over the centuries of F. carica,...so genetics, morphology and behavior can be sort of all over the place I think. And they do show up as volunteers wherever there's an appropriate wasp, in fact there is a company that sells fig cultivars from just these types of plants, I think up in the Central Valley, I know a guy out here in the Palm Springs area who is into figs and buys a lot of these oddball plants. I can't see it on your posted photo, but can you look at the apical meristem? Look for the pointed, enclosing sheath at the tip (I believe it's formally considered a stipule) that is the hallmark of the Moraceae. That may put it to rest...

[Jonathan]

This has been lurking in my brain all day...could it possibly be Brachychiton acerifolius?

? 

[ahosey01]

On 11/16/2024 at 11:24 AM, Tracy said:

This plant started growing several months ago at the foot of my Chrysalidocarpus before.  Initially the leaves had fewer lobes and I assumed it could be either a mellon or squash.  I left it in but it hasn't flowered.  I have been meaning to compare leaves with a plant that grows on the. Coastal bluffs nearby with large white flowers. That plant's name evades me right now so I can't just look it up.  Anyone recognize it?  It looks so familiar. 

 

Break a leaf stem is it filled with latex?

[Tracy]

21 hours ago, mnorell said:

I can't see it on your posted photo, but can you look at the apical meristem? Look for the pointed, enclosing sheath at the tip (I believe it's formally considered a stipule) that is the hallmark of the Moraceae. That may put it to rest...

Definitely has that pointed enclosed tip Michael.  I have come to a realization that it probably is some sort of volunteer which is interesting.  I hadn't been aware that we had the right type of wasps here until reading more about them.  It would be interesting if one of my potted specimens ever was hybridized with the F carica I am intentionally growing for the fruit.  I have Ficus socatrana, dammaropsis, menabeensis, petiolaris, brandegeei and abutifolia.  Only the F dammaropsis and menabeensis are mature enough to produce fruit right now.  Some of the others may produce fruit later or because they are growing in pots may be too stunted to ever produce fruit.

2 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Break a leaf stem is it filled with latex?

 

Adam, that is the funny thing, if I bump a leaf off the fig I am intentionally growing, it gushes the milky white latex.  This one doesn't seem to do that, and my wife has trimmed growth off the walkway it is adjacent to a few times.  The dogs would knock off leaves as well, since it was on the walkway with with some Encephalartos species that keep them honest from getting off the walkway in that area.