Hi GardenWeb,

I am a newbie gardener that just purchased my first house. I moved from Wisconsin to Connecticut. One side of the house had a lot of brush and what appear to be weeds. I came across these things that look like big hollow shoots of rhubarb or bamboo. I dug them up and bagged them getting as much root out as I could.

Them I came across a massive one. I dug down to the roots, and I've got to say, I have never seen a plant with a root structure like this before (other than a tree). The roots must run at least 15 feet out and are as big as a small tree trunk. I don't thing I ever came across one in Wisconsin.

Attached is a picture of the root ball and you can still see one of the shoots that was growing out of it. Can anyone tell me what this thing is? And should I try digging the entire root out? It looks like it has attached itself, to roots from a nearby Walnut tree, that I don't want to damage.

Thanks for your help! Looking forward to becoming an active member of the community!