IT'S a green-fingered mystery which has excited Wales' top botanists.

And some villagers are suggesting an X-file should be opened after something odd and spiky was found lurking in the undergrowth of a Swffryd garden.

Householder Anita Jane (pictured with her neighbour's son Rhys Davies-Thomas) has discovered a rare cactus more often found in the sunny climes of the Mediterranean, Middle East or North Africa growing in her patch.

The exotic plant has grown over two feet high since its unexplained appearance several weeks ago - and has become the talk of her estate.

The plant, which has spiky marble green and white leafs, first appeared in Mrs Jane's backyard just nine weeks ago.

At first Mrs Jane, 54, of Lloyd Avenue, Swffryd, ignored the plant which initially appeared to be a "nettle".

However, it has since grown at an alarming rate and courted much attention from local gardeners.

Mrs Jane said: "Everybody is a bit afraid of it because it keeps growing so much - my mother won't go near it because she thinks it is from another planet!

"I've had about 30 people come round to have a look at it and nobody knew what it was. My son, Jean-Paul Brogan, is a very keen gardener and hasn't seen anything like it."

Curiosity got the better of Mrs Jane's pet dog Cindy, who, intent on a closer investigation, came off worse after putting her nose to one of the spiky leafs on the plant.

Mrs Jane is in no doubt about the reason why the strange plant has grown so quickly. She said: "They all reckon I'm green fingered up here because I have had a lot of success with little cuttings of other plants.

"Although I cannot do a lot of gardening because of my disability I've earned the nickname 'green-fingered Anita' around the estate!"

So keen was Mrs Jane to find out the identity of the plant she took a leaf sample to the National Botanical gardens in Carmarthenshire.

After much trepidation, Ivor Stafford, director of horticulture at the National Botanical Gardens was able to say: "It's a spiny plant called the sily bum marianum that grows about four foot high. It is normally found in hotter climates like the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Northern Africa."

Mr Stafford added: "It's very, very unusual for it to show up in Britain - I've never heard of such a plant growing from the suspected source of bird seed."