Long ago I read a kid's book -- maybe it was Henry Reed. The story involved a (quietly mad) scientist who had bred a giant plant. All the people were amazed at its stupendous size, but did not recognize it until it began to bloom. Ragweed!

Karl

I just realized that Giant (or Great) Ragweed is also in the Asteraceae family, and apparently can grow as tall as 15 feet in some locations.

Various Reports

Connecticut Botanical Society

The book was one of the Homer Price books. I got it as a kid in a summer book club.

Thanks! I just did a library catalog search and found that Robert McCloskey was the creator of both Homer Price and Henry Reed. I really loved those books before I "graduated" into Sci Fi.

Karl