Vancouver police say a marijuana plant discovered growing in a city traffic circle was legal, unless someone had been watering it.

"The alleged marijuana plant growing in the traffic circle at West 19th Avenue and Ontario Street has been removed for analysis and has been determined to likely be a male cannabis plant and therefore not capable of producing THC, rendering the plant legal hemp," Sgt. Randy Fincham said in an email statement.

But if someone was watering the plant, Finchan said in the email, it would have been violating the city’s current stage 3 water restriction which forbids all forms of residential lawn or garden watering.

The plant was discovered in a small garden in the middle of a roundabout at the intersection of West 19th Avenue and Ontario Street, in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood on Monday evening. An anonymous resident noticed the plant and called the police.

Police have since removed the plant to conduct analysis.

With a report from CTV Vancouver