The plant above was seen growing on the Sheepshead Bay station, close to the platform.
The plant stalks pictured to the side, though a little difficult to see is believed to be the same as the one above — except that the one above is more of a trailing vine.
The leaves look similar to pumpkin plant leaves, so could this be the growth from pumpkin seeds thrown from the subway cars by people who can’t wait for the garbage can? Or, is it a type of squash?
Are there any gardeners who might be able to identify this plant, or will we have to wait for the next harvest to check its yield?
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cool article
Well, I certainly don’t claim to have a green thumb. In fact, it’s just plain old Caucasian color. I suppose the leafy greens could be either squash or pumpkin. My guess is that the plant is the inter-racial lovechild of the aforementioned veggies who must have made wild flora love right there on the tracks. We’ll have to wait and see what kinds of wonderful byproducts will result from the passionate union of these vegetable heavyweights. As a fan of cross-breeding, however, I would have to suggest a safer place to take root than the train tracks.
Great close-up pic, Ray. Please tell me that a train wasn’t barreling down the tracks while you were posing the plants for that perfect shot. Strike a pose… I know you’re dedicated to your art, but be we need you doing your thing here so be careful!… oh, and stay away from the third rail while you’re applying Miracle-Gro to our new friends.
Well, I the greenery was growing near enough to the platform for me to keep to stay alive–no running the third rails for me!
It’s not squash, it’s Royal Paulonia, a.k.a. Empress Tree. It also grows alongside the train tracks, on East 15th St. between Y & Z. In the spring, it produces huge stalks of beautiful lavender flowers. It’s very invasive & can grow practically anywhere!