# ID this plant?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-plant/696721>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 28, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-plant/696721 "2014-08-28T03:53:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-plant/696721/1 "2014-08-28T03:53:40Z")

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I was looking at a house this week and they had some unusual looking plants in their garden I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

It was all dried up; which seemed out of season - it looked more like how you’d see a plant in late autumn than mid-summer. It was a tall thin stalk about six foot high. It had branches coming off it but no apparent leaves. It looked like it might have had thorns but they were very dried up so I wasn’t sure. The most distinguishing characteristic were its fruits. At the end of each branch it had a small greenish fruit that looked like a small slightly pear-shaped cucumber.

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**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-plant/696721/2 "2014-08-28T04:14:10Z")

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Photos are necessary.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-plant/696721/3 "2014-08-28T06:31:44Z")

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It sounds like it might have been some species of Lilium. Upright stem, strap-like leaves (that could easily look like bare branches once dead and dry), ovoid fruits and (in some cases) stems that are scaly (that could look like thorns)

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-plant/696721/4 "2014-08-28T15:43:51Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> It sounds like it might have been some species of Lilium. Upright stem, strap-like leaves (that could easily look like bare branches once dead and dry), ovoid fruits and (in some cases) stems that are scaly (that could look like thorns)

I think you’re right. I searched and found this [image](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tdn1ffninSk/UkJDpjK5hoI/AAAAAAAASxw/tDnH6zTRiQY/s640/lilypods.jpg) of a dried up Canadian Lily. It’s not the exact plant I saw but it’s close enough to be a relative.