Can anyone lend a hand with a plant ID?

[AdamLambsbreath]

Oooh, only just found this board . . . will be spending a lot more time round here!

I am a (relatively) experienced veg gardener but have limited knowledge of flowers. I decided to do some companion planting in my garden this year. A friend gave me some free packs of seeds, including one of French marigolds.

I planted these, and got lots of healthy seedlings, which I grew on and planted out. However, the leaves look nothing like French marigold leaves! I have googled around and can't find any variety of French marigold which looks like this.

Can anyone tell me what I've planted?!

Many thanks

Here's a bigger version of the pic

Or not. Sorry, photo fail

I wondered if they were pepper plants or petunias or basil perhaps. Not sure. Maybe the next set of leaves will help? What other seeds did you have?

No I can't tell they're very unusual leaves with the extra points at the ends. Leave them and find out; it'll be a nice (hopefully!) surprise

I don't THINK they're Japanese knotweed! But I don't know sorry. I do have a big herb garden but no JK so I can't help.

Pepper or spinach?

It's not basil, the leaves are too pointy. I grew some peppers from seed this year and they didn't have crinkly leaves, the leaves are very smooth. Might be a different variety maybe? It's the first year I've done peppers so not an expert on them.

No they are not French Marigolds. And sorry but they don't look all that healthy. Is there greenfly or something under the leaves as they are crinkly?

I might hazard a guess at Sunflowers, did you sow any at all? Are you sure those are what you sowed?

Sunflowers do have crinkly leaves but not the large points at the end. Though of course some leaves do change as they mature.

The points are because the leaves are crinkled up a little.

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Yes could be Funky I'll have to look at them in the fields round here (mid west fr.) they'll be just starting to grow now. I've got the 'mini' sunflowers I can't remember their correct name atm.

Rudbeckia!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

No, definitely not basil or peppers, the leaves aren't right. They aren't scented, and they're not glossy.

funky, they are indeed unhealthy. They are a magnet for slugs and greenfly, which aren't bothering anything else as much. They are annoying me a little and may end up getting culled, particularly as I don't know what they are . . .

The seeds looked like sunflower, but a little smaller. I had wondered if it was some kind of sunflower, as the leaves are similar. funky, the photo you've posted looks very much like my plants! In which case I'll have to get rid of them, as I was aiming for low-growing flowers, not whopping great sunflowers!

I am certain that I sowed from a packet of 'Botanico' 'French marigold' seeds - the packet was unopened, given to me by someone else. These are they: www.botanicogarden.co.uk/page/seeds.aspx

I can only assume that there was a mistake in the packaging section!

They might be rudbeckia then; which are a small sunflower type (medium sized not too large) if you keep them watered they'll be happy and shrug off the slugs if they get too dry they succumb to damage IME. I've got mine in pots I've just reminded myself to water them!