It's eight-feet tall and tasty, but I've no idea what it is

There's just one problem, however. Despite eating its leaves . . . he has no idea what it is.

Rocco Colabella, a retired Goodyear worker from Oxley, was given some shoots to plant in his Pendeford allotment and brought some home to put in his own garden but was shocked at the way one took off.

Mr Colabella, 77, from Green Drive, said: "It was about three years ago when somebody gave me the shoots, so I pushed them in the ground but this one just hasn't stop growing and growing. However, I can't remember who the gentleman was that gave them to me or what he said they were called, all he said was 'grow some of this and you will never go short of it.

"I've been asking all my allotment friends what it could be but nobody has any idea, therefore I am appealing for anybody who may know to get in touch."

The ever-growing plant is non-flowering and described as a perpetual sweet vegetable that overproduces with massive leaves. The other shoots in Mr Colabella's allotment were destroyed by pigeons but luckily the one at home has remained pigeon free.

Mr Colabella, who came to the UK in 1954 from Italy, said: "I am just going to let this one grow and see what happens. It could go on forever so I will leave it as it is until it dies off. It is actually a tasty vegetable with pasta and I will be willing to share some snaps to keep it producing." Mr Colabella has three allotments. He moved to Wolverhampton in 1957 with his family and father who was a former prisoner of war.