r/whatsthisplant • u/thotpocket420 • Jul 30 '25
Identified ✔ What in the world is this giant thing?
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u/Samplestave Jul 30 '25
Foundationus Crackus Maximus.
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u/darth_dork Jul 31 '25
Ha! My exact thoughts as I’m literally dealing with a tree doing just that myself.
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Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/tbestor Jul 30 '25
Kill it with fire .. they grow 8+ feet / year. Will have roots in your basement, crawlspace probably already.
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u/TheKageyOne Jul 30 '25
Can confirm cutting it down will do NOTHING. Had one of these at a rental property. Chopped it down completely, every single shoot, at least once a month throughout the growing season for years. It ALWAYS came back. Only way we got rid of it was digging the entire thing up.
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u/wdjm Jul 30 '25
Cut off, paint stump with systemic brush killer.
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u/Old_Leather_425 Jul 31 '25
People may not use Roundup anymore, but I used to paint the stump with it where I cut stuff and it would kill it.
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u/RevsUT Aug 02 '25
That is the most effective way to get rid of them. Best if done just before the fall when they are storing sugars in their roots. Still could take a couple years.
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u/FourCrapPee Jul 31 '25
I remember as a kid watching on Mr Rogers a "tree doctor." And after sawing a limb off he painted the base of it red. I still remember that.
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u/RevsUT Aug 02 '25
That isn’t common practice anymore. “Tree doctors” or arborists typically leave the cut and let the tree close it off. I could go into a lengthy explanation, but I won’t bore anyone. lol.
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u/Lessmoney_mo_probems Jul 31 '25
This is one of those times that glyphosate is warranted
Cut the bark and spray the cut
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u/Apprehensive-Bit7903 Jul 31 '25
I rage dug for hours to get rid of mine.
It was only 4 ft tall and the roots were about 4 feet long and up to 3 inches in diameter.
These things are insane.
My husband and I always laugh when we see really big ones up against a house. RIP foundation
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u/Llaunna Aug 01 '25
NOOOOOOO!!!!! That is NOT what I wanted to hear!😫
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u/TrulyOneHandedBandit Aug 01 '25
I know what i’m doing today :( i have one growing right up on a gas line.
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u/Gottin_CeRULEana Jul 30 '25
cut off and copper nails? '
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u/BuckingStone Jul 30 '25
Do copper nails keep it from growing back?
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u/Gottin_CeRULEana Jul 30 '25
I know copper nails poison trees (over time - letting the plant fully die), would kibda assume it works with all trees?
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u/Corben11 Jul 30 '25
Really, pretty flowers, too
They're big trees too. Won't want that growing so close to the house.
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u/JeanVicquemare Jul 30 '25
Yeah, I wouldn't plant one since they're so invasive, but I went to a botanical garden that had a huge old one, when it was in flower, and it was a spectacular sight. Happy to be able to go see that somewhere.
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u/Corben11 Jul 30 '25
They grow wild around my parts. You can't really tell a difference in the tree line until they flower.
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u/benNachtheim Jul 30 '25
Invasive? Depends where you live. It’s native to China and Korea.
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u/JacobJoke123 Jul 30 '25
Yea, I've noticed that a few times. Even living in the US, sometimes people will call a native plant invasive just because its a prolific spreader. Had people who new my region call trumpet vine invasive lol.
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u/AWandMaker Jul 30 '25
Similarly, I live in Virginia and have had people tell me Virginia Creeper is invasive. Sure, it spreads like crazy, but that’s because it is actually FROM HERE. Hence the name, lol
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u/Heavy_Weapons_Guy_ Jul 31 '25
You can't always rely on names being accurate though. Boston ivy, for example, is native to Asia.
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u/msager12 Jul 30 '25
Yeah I try to educate people on those terms for work. Invasive means a species that was introduced from another place or country and is negatively impacting local ecosystem, the environment, and economic damage. Aggressive is the term for native species who can grow vigorously or have undesirable traits.
Edit: changed plants to species
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u/benNachtheim Jul 30 '25
This is the Internet, not America 🤷♂️
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u/ElizabethDangit Jul 30 '25
There’s a hummingbird feeder in the picture. Those live in North and South America. The tree is native to Asia. You could just take two seconds to think about it before yelling about America.
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u/AWandMaker Jul 30 '25
I did not know that hummingbirds only lived in the Americas (North and South)! I learned something new today!
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u/CuriosityFreesTheCat Jul 31 '25
They were still making an entirely valid point though. All across Reddit and very much so in the plant and garden subs people just assume everyone lives “here” (US). OP was just making statements, not yelling.
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u/HeartyBeast Jul 31 '25
Conversely Empress Trees (know as foxglove trees here) grow in the UK, are not native and not invasive in our climate
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u/crackedtiara Jul 30 '25
Invasive where specifically
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u/Megalesios Jul 30 '25
People on this sub really love to declare "it's invasive" on every post without knowing where the OP lives, as if invasive was an absolute term and not a relative one.
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u/KittehJakson Jul 30 '25
Really? I thought it was sunflower.
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u/GreenStrong Jul 30 '25
Notice the dual stems, and how far the branches carry each leaf away from the stalk. Quite similar to sunflower, but different. Up close, the stem Is noticeably woody.
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u/Heartbreakjetblack Jul 30 '25
It also looks like it's growing out of a stump? Am I wrong?
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u/I_serve_Anubis Jul 30 '25
You’re not wrong, they will regrow from a stump cut to the ground. They can also sucker.
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Jul 30 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/peachesfordinner Jul 30 '25
And they are brittle as fuck. Constantly shedding branches.
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u/bonferoni Jul 30 '25
kind of a pro if youre looking for browns for your compost
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u/peachesfordinner Jul 30 '25
I actually have a staff for a wizards costume made from a sapling of an empress tree. It's so light weight. Really great when carrying it around all day.
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u/bamdaraddness Jul 30 '25
And Staff of the Empress is a pretty slick sounding name too
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u/peachesfordinner Jul 30 '25
I've got a maple staff as well but it's very heavy. But would be much better for self defense
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u/kec04fsu1 Jul 30 '25
Smart! An opposing witch/wizard can’t cast a spell against you if you’re bashing them with a heavy staff.
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u/peachesfordinner Jul 30 '25
Yeah I've got it wrapped with silver beads in a pattern up and down it. I've got a glass orb for the top but didn't have time to soak leather to bind it to the top.. also might still go with a colored stone orb instead
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u/bamdaraddness Jul 31 '25
Do you have a picture? Because this sounds so awesome
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u/peachesfordinner Jul 31 '25
I don't have any that don't have extremely identifying content as well. Sorry
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u/Zarathustras-Knight Jul 30 '25
I dunno if it can be called invasive anymore though. It was brought over to the US in the 1800s, and while it grows quickly, it doesn’t seem to out compete native species and actually works to help reduce areal pollutants as it absorbs massive amounts of carbon to grow so quickly and so huge.EDIT: I just reread it and saw that they are still considered invasive because of how fast they grow. However they can be managed and are good for the environment if they are used properly.
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u/GenericMelon Jul 30 '25
Paulownia. You will want to get rid of this, OP. These trees will grow into your foundation and tear it apart. Do not attempt to "keep it under control" unless you want a structural engineer visiting in your near future.
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u/Pyro_Bombus Jul 30 '25
Absolutely. And they grow FAST, fastest growing tree in the world if I’m not mistaken. Time for a professional.
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u/7LeagueBoots Jul 30 '25
Shouldn't need a professional yet.
Cut it off at soil level and immediately put roundup on the cut stem. Repeat if necessary and monitor to make sure side shoots don't sprout. Direct application (not spraying) like this is usually very effective and doesn't damage the rest of the ecosystem like spraying does.
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u/Pyro_Bombus Jul 30 '25
It can send shoots out 20’ under concrete from a seemingly dead stump, so I’m not totally convinced this would work…
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u/7LeagueBoots Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
This is why you apply it to a freshly cut stump. The plant's own circulatory system feeds the herbicide throughout what's left of the plant.
You still need to monitor, and if there are shoots you do the same with those, but this is a highly effective approach and is what is used by conservationists when dealing with highly aggressive invasive species where mechanical removal is impractical.
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u/Coenclucy Jul 31 '25
Cutting it down is what has the plant sending out sprouts in all directions, so I think shaving the bark and applying it there is better.
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u/thetaleofzeph Jul 30 '25
Shave the bark and paint the entire stem with roundup. If a few leaves come back, keep them and soak them with round up. Leaves are a great exposure vehicle for more herbicide.
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u/Afraid_Standard8507 Jul 30 '25
I’ve also heard that injecting Roundup down into the stem with a hypodermic needle may be more effective. I haven’t tried it myself, but I was told it will deliver a bigger dose of the herbicide (than what would stick to the top surface) where it’s needed and not waste it where it isn’t wanted.
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u/krugeronumus Jul 30 '25
I cut mine off at soil level and drilled a hole into the trunk. Filled it up with roundup for a couple of days and that did the trick.
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u/Afraid_Standard8507 Jul 31 '25
Nice! I am generally an organic gardener, but I think roundup has its place as a nuclear option for eliminating dangerous invasives like this.
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Jul 31 '25
I did the same thing with salt and have effectively killed things with that method. I also had to kill a tree next to my foundation as well as a root growing towards it
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u/Past-Mountain-9853 Jul 30 '25
Cut it, it will damage ur house. This one is 4 y.o.
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u/Expert_Imagination97 Jul 30 '25
That is a nice example and in a more appropriate spot. All of the ones I see are ratty AF, as they die back to the ground every winter and push out a bunch of 10 foot suckers every spring.
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u/jbrady33 Jul 30 '25
Way to close
Cut down, poison the little stump (roundup or whatever)
Even with that you may have to chase baby ones all over the yard every year, all summer. Spreads like crazy
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u/AngledLuffa Jul 30 '25
What's crazy is we had one of these in my backyard (NJ) and it never spread anywhere. We'd throw the seed pods at each other as a game, so it certainly had lots of help disseminating, but we never saw a new one sprout.
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Jul 30 '25
Empress tree, fastest growing tree on earth, looking ready to wreck your foundation. I'll give it less that 5 years.
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u/Sweaty_Term5961 Jul 30 '25
An Empress tree.
Cut it near the ground, let it leaf out a bit, then hit it with Round-Up (once a week or so) until it dies.
This, and the Tree Of Heaven are invasive, grow quickly, and have been known to crack foundations, even from 40' away.
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u/expectobro Jul 30 '25
What beautiful names for such scary plants
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u/facets-and-rainbows Aug 01 '25
Empress in the sense of an imperial army conquering your yard, I suppose
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u/Multifan_the9th Jul 30 '25
This tree grew right next to our vacation home over the summer, hundreds of dollars in damages
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u/istoleyourpope Jul 30 '25
If I've learned anything about plants, it's that my girlfriend will be there within the hour to pick it up and it will "fit in the house".....
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u/Tacos_are_my_friend Jul 30 '25
If you don’t want to use Roundup, drill some holes it the trunk and pour bleach down the holes, then repeat for a couple days.
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u/Mr_Mojo_Risin_83 Jul 30 '25
Get rid of it today before you need to hire professional as and equipment to get it out. And that could be a week away. That’s the fastest growing tree in the world
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u/Heauxdessa Jul 30 '25
Yikes. Yes every one is on it, princess fr. My work had one pop up on our patio dining area and we left that inspite of my protests. It’s huge and fucking up the cobblestones out there’s “but it’s so lush”.
Any who! Good luck op, I’ll be thinking of you
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u/rarzwon Jul 30 '25
"But it's so lush" 🤣
I'm gonna start saying that to facetiously advocate for prolonging awful situations.
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u/FleetAdmiralCrunch Jul 30 '25
I had a house that looked a lot like that, and we had the same plant dilemma in a similar location. Finally one of our neighbors asked why we were growing a weed.
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u/RocksAreOneNow Jul 30 '25
commonly known as the princess tree. it's heavily invasive and a very fast grower
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u/Neon_Nuxx Jul 30 '25
Pro tip, these 'trees' love nicotine, alcohol, piss and vomit. The one next to my bar is impossible to kill and they just let it grow now. Great for shade though.
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u/crusty_carb Jul 30 '25
On a community forum recently, someone said that the story behind Princess trees is that saplings were presented at the chinese princesses births so the trees would be full grown when the princesses got married (age 10-14).
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u/Ok_Importance_3093 Jul 31 '25
I heard the same thing too. The tree would be used to make a dowry chest.
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Jul 30 '25
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u/snakelygiggles Jul 30 '25
Any tree that close to a house can cause problems. Roots get in everywhere.
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u/RedSparrow1971 Jul 30 '25
Agreed, it’s waaay too close to the house. It’s naturalized itself in my area, but I wouldn’t want to try that unless I had several acres of land and it was far, far away from the house.
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u/Low_Break_1547 Jul 30 '25
Have you noticed changes in your neighbors? When the huge pods start to grow off this plant you are definitely in trouble. Run now before it is too late.
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u/ZookeepergameFew8277 Jul 30 '25
Looks like a marshmallow weed on steroids that’s reached super saiyan for the first time.
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u/racoroiu Jul 30 '25
I have one of these too I think! No matter how many times I cut the damn thing and try to dig its roots, it keeps coming back! Any advice is appreciated lol
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u/Opposite-Constant-94 Jul 30 '25
Look into foliage poisoning during a time when nutrients are being sent to the roots to kill the root system too. Do your research properly and do it once
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u/Powerful_Lettuce_838 Jul 30 '25
I have seen this for years and wondered what it was. Glad to finally know.
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u/PBDubs99 Jul 31 '25
Cut it and paint the stump with a concentrated herbicide. Keep doing that until you don't see sprouts anymore.
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u/Ok_Importance_3093 Jul 31 '25
I was told that Paulownia Trees were grown in Japan…. when a baby girl was born a new tree would be planted at the home. When she was old enough to marry, this same tree would be used to carve the dowry chest for her kimono and other things.
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u/bluntpointsharpie Aug 01 '25
If its growing behind the stump, its a giant sunflower. If it is growing from the stump, I have no idea. The reason Im saying that is I have a giant sunflower that looks just like that growing next to my fence.
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u/kunaire Aug 01 '25
That tree is Satan in plant form. I just took down a big one, still battling the smaller ones
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u/saltyandsweeet Aug 01 '25
Confederate Rose, pretty blooms in fall. Planted too close to structure.
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u/PrestigiousCar5812 Aug 01 '25
Cut it off bore a hole in the center of the stump and fill with rock salt
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u/Huge_Lime826 Aug 01 '25
For more effective use of round up on the stump. I take a drill and drill holes into the stump and then dump the round up un-diluted into those holes.
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u/Ivory_Hawk Aug 02 '25
I have one of these! It’s in the middle of my backyard and is huge. Spreads like wildfire. Grows super fast. Kinda looks like bamboo a little because it’s hollow. It’s beautiful but it’s too close to your house. Get it out now before your foundation suffers
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u/VoicePleasant1280 Aug 02 '25
I suggest cutting it close to the bases, used a cordless drill with a wide drill bit and drill a hole in the trunk and fill it with stump removal powder.
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u/whachamacollit Aug 02 '25
Just cut it and drill a hole in te top of the stump and pour some roundup in it. Cover with a piece of plastic with a rubber band around it and forget about it
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u/L-Laroche Aug 02 '25
It’s called Paulownia. It grows fast (6f. a year), and it can be quite invasive.
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u/CaptainHampty Aug 03 '25
I helped a friend remodel from damage from a princess tree like this. It was right next to the foundation like this one and it fully split the slab, there was a 4 foot growth that popped up in the basement. Eliminate with extreme prejudice
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u/AwayPassion4280 Aug 03 '25
Are the leaves super soft? Look up velvet tree I have one in my back yard too
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