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What the heck is this little thing?

brooklynbonnie
9 years ago

I noticed weeks ago little bunches of this plant which looks like nothing more than a single blade of grass each. I pulled one up today and noticed it has a tiny little brown bulb and two little roots remained attached.

I'm noticing more bunches of this, and also some singles popping up everywhere now. What the heck is this? Any clues?

Thanks!

Comments (20)

  • gardenper
    9 years ago

    It may be a rain lily. When my rain lilies start up in the spring (or from a new planting) they have that single long blade. Soon, there will be another blade or two, then when it rains, you will see one amazing little flower.

    The way you describe how they are coming up all over the place also makes it sound like the way rain lilies will naturalize.

  • brooklynbonnie
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestion gardenper! I've looked up rain lilies online and can't seem to find any images where the leaves look like mine but it's a start!

  • CA Kate z9
    9 years ago

    We had something like this in our gardens. What we had was Nutgrass.... and very hard to get rid of.

  • blubird
    9 years ago

    Looks to me like it's an onion type plant which we used to get when we lived in Brooklyn - it should smell like one if it is.

    Helene

  • gardenper
    9 years ago

    The nutgrass or nutsedge is also possible. If you have a chance, maybe you can clean up the bulb/root area and we can see what that bulb thing looks like. Or if that is what it looks like (brown/dark) then maybe a close-up.

    In the meantime, I searched on the term "rain lily seeding" and found some pictures but could not link them here. They do still look like your plant also.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    9 years ago

    Baby Gladiolus look like that.

  • brooklynbonnie
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for your ideas! It doesn't smell like onion that I can tell. But I'm not that great at smelling things sometimes :)

    And I looked up nutgrass/nutsedge and that stuff grows a bunch of blades from one base it seems, so that's not it either. I've taken a couple more pictures in case it helps. It's very much a single plant to each blade, the blades are very grass-like as they are flat with a single slim rib showing through front to back and no discernible difference from front to back, and it emerges from a single bulb like thing which is inside a dark brown, rough and tough outer covering, which is no bigger than a large pea.

  • brooklynbonnie
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's another bunch of the stuff. It's about 6 or 7 inches tall now but still no indication what it will be. This bunch is next to some kind of lily or daffodil. This yard is just full of mysteries!

    I've got to go post on the vines forum now as I've got a mystery vine coming up, and I'm going to post a pic on the hosta forum as the mystery hosta that was growing when we moved in has its pips coming through!

  • flowergirl70ks
    9 years ago

    Nutgrass has a triangular blade and will slice your fingers if you're not careful. A terrible pest.

  • browneyedsusan_gw
    9 years ago

    Looks like Gladiolus or Crocosmia.

    Susan

  • sara82lee
    9 years ago

    Bonnie,

    I don't know what to tell you it is, but I have the same mystery plant myself and I have no idea. I was so surprised when I saw your pictures! I did plant some crocosmia new last year, but it doesn't seem like these are all in the same spots. Maybe I just don't remember where I put them all... Anyway, I hope you figure it out soon!

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    9 years ago

    It doesn't look like nutsedge or nutgrass to me. That pest is easy to tell because the stems are not round, but square or triangular at the base.

    Don't forget to come back and post pics when they bloom (if they do); I am very curious to see what they turn out to be. I am also looking up rain lily, never heard of it!

  • TNflowerlover Zone 7a
    9 years ago

    I have something like that and also have daffodils. I was told they are daffodil "seedlings" not old enough to flower yet. I hope it is correct, as I quit pulling mine up. If they do not bloom in a few more years, I will yank them.

  • mari66
    9 years ago

    Hello,
    I am not sure what it is yet I have similar things growing from an never blooming Orchid plant - bought on cheap sale rack at Lowe's 2 yrs ago-- it has a few leaves and after a summer on the porch it looks good and gives me hope--poor thing is hopeless
    Just love our interesting world of plants...never boring !!
    Looking forward to some warmth here in MA -from a freezing snowy winter to a cold wet Spring with a few beautiful day tossed in as teasers-Tulips coming up happy
    little guys....

  • vetivert8
    9 years ago

    I think I'd agree on the Gladiolus, at this point. If the leaves have longways pleats - could be Tigridia.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    9 years ago

    Whenever it develops enough to look different, or of course, makes a flower, it would be fun to see an update! Reading the suggestions, found a couple plants I now know I need...

  • brooklynbonnie
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm leaning towards Gladiolus now... I'm so curious to see what it does!

  • ladychroe
    9 years ago

    That looks like the hardy gladiolus that I used to grow at my old place. It looked like this:

    (Not my pic)

  • brooklynbonnie
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Just a quick follow-up/FYI: They never did anything. Once they looked like they did in the last pic, nothing else happened. I never even realized but eventually it all just disappeared by end of summer. I wonder if it was lack of sun? The leaves that looked like daffodils and those that looked like a lily never produced anything either.

  • calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
    9 years ago

    I think it may be Siberian Iris and they often will not bloom if not getting enough sun, and they also need more than average water. Al

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