Can you name this plant?

[Peter Selby]

In message <19970611025800.WAA12749 at ladder02.news.aol.com>
        seayacker at aol.com (Sea Yacker) writes: 


> Its trunk or stalk is almost perfectly straight.  It seems like a woody
> plant. The "bark" is smooth - almost bamboo like (come to think of it,
> could it be bamboo?) - and a dark olive green with many many white spots
> all over it.  The leaves are very large (18 inches or so across), and
> heart shaped.  There may be a few small branches but as I recall, most of
> the leaves are coming directly off the trunk.  The trunk is about an inch
> to an inch and a half thick.  It sprung up in an area that was getting a
> lot of bird seed, so it may be the product of one of those.  Appreciate
> any guesses.

> Thanks
> -Dave-

The very large leaves, rapid rate of growth and marking on the trunk 
sound like Paulonia tomentosa.  The one in my front garden suffered 
badly this year when a late frost froze the young leaves, but is 
going ahead strongly now.

-- 
 Pete Selby
(pete.selby at zetnet.co.uk)