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Plant ID

Posted by tankdeer z8 PDX (My Page) on
Tue, May 31, 11 at 23:32

Hi all. I need some help ID'ing this plant. I found a few of them growing out back behind the shed, under a pile of branches I cut last fall and some ivy I was killing.

Any idea what they are? At first I was thinking some sort of crazy Hosta but I'm pretty sure that's not it. They kinda look like elephant ear but I wouldn't have thought they would have made it through the winter here.
DSC_0469

DSC_0470

DSC_0479

As you can see they're fairly large. I tried pulling one up and a long white stem came up. I know elephant ear is a tuber, but I didn't see anything (doesn't mean it's not there though)

Ideas?


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Plant ID

I think it's an Arum, possibly Arum italicum.


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RE: Plant ID

Yes - Arum italicum


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RE: Plant ID

Awesome. Thanks everybody. So a quick search reveals that this stuff can be pretty invasive. Would it be in my best interest to try and get rid of it while there's only a handful of plants?


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RE: Plant ID

I have a friend who has this and it's not invasive for her. I think you can remove the berries to keep it from seeding and that will help.


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RE: Plant ID

Thanks. In further reading it seems to be area specific. And it sounds like here in Portland, it's pretty invasive. So I guess I have something else to try and kill, along with all this English Ivy. I also read that it's poisonous and we have 2 dogs and small children, so better safe than sorry.

But hey, at least now I know what I'm killing. :)


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RE: Plant ID

I had it at a rental house we lived in for several years in Portland and would not call it invasive. It does have bright red berries/seeds that might be tempting for a kid to try to eat.

If you are worried about poisonous/toxic plants that ivy is and so are daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas and many many others...


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RE: Plant ID

Well, it's not so much that I'm worried, as I know that lots of plants are poisonous. But it's just another negative against this plant (and I don't really see any positives in trying to keep it).

I didn't realize that the ivy was also, but trust me, I'm doing everything in my power to get rid of it.

Thanks again


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