It's about to bloom...but it been about to forever it seems and I'm curious if you pro's can guess what it is...that and I'm dying to know! LOL

Well to describe the best I can the first set of true leaves are elliptic to lanceolate but somewhat wider than the rest and have a sandpapery feel and 3 distinct viens underneath...the other leaves are very very soft and cushiony like velvet, covered in fine hairs, also having the 3 distict viens being more lanceolate..the older the leaf the more lanceolate they are. The main plant stem also covered in soft hairs about 1/8" long.

To describe the leaf as it is attached to the stalk...using my "Plant Identification Terminology" text...they are alternate ..and having space between each leave born from the main stalk/stem. The base of each leaf is about 1/2" long and about the same width wide on all (expect 1st true leaves).

Flower bud is round and somewhat flat, at very top of the 12" to 14" plant..surrounded by about 10 very small short narrow leaves behind it and evern smaller ones enveloping the bud itself...color of bud looks to me to be a dark brown or very deep maroon. If I had to guess this flower bud resembles a flower bud head of a sunflower (Composite/Aster) family member.

One of the older plants has started a second stem in bud not far down from the top.

Give me your guesses and I'll have fun researching them today :)

Thanks

Vera