There was a surprising discovery at the Vermont State House in Montpelier this week: out-of-place plants—and suspicious ones, at that.

The Capitol Police Department told NBC affiliate 5 News that a visitor told officers earlier this week they thought they spotted a marijuana plant growing in the gardens out front.

More suspicious plants were discovered Thursday among the decorative flowers.

Montpelier Police Chief Matthew Romei confirmed the plants were cannabis, but could not say without lab testing if they were marijuana or hemp plants. Hemp cannot get people high.

While growing both kinds of cannabis are legal in Vermont under appropriate circumstances, the chief said neither belongs at the State House.

“Certainly, we don't want hemp or marijuana growing out here, so they'll get pulled and removed,” Romei told NBC 5 News.

It’s unclear if the plants were growing following some sort of prank, or perhaps a political demonstration, or whether it was some sort of strange accident.

The chief said he has no idea how the plants turned up on the busy grounds of the State House, but asked whoever was responsible to not do it again.

Romei said as of right now, he doesn’t consider the issue worth exhausting resources to investigate.

--NBC 5 News contributed reporting to this story.