Please identify this......garden overgrown with it

Colin Sumner

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Please identify this plant. The place is overgrown with it. It has a thick rubbery white root that quickly turns black when removed or exposed.
I really need to get this under control.
Thanks,
Colin
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flowerbug

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that looks like some sort of tropical plant to me... not familiar with it.

with those big leaves, keep removing them as they come up, eventually the roots will run out of energy. the more of the roots you can remove the better, but that isn't as critical as keeping the leaves off to begin with. the less stuff sending energy back to the roots the better.

i'm not sure about if the roots/sap are toxic, but things turning black isn't common in my experience and so i would be a bit wary about skin contact.

now that i think about it a bit longer i wonder if it is a rubber tree plant. if you cut the stems does it get a milky white sticky sap?

ok, i googled it and the leaves are different, so no, at least not a common rubber tree plant... hmm...
 

Ridgerunner

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Colin, have you seen it flower? What does that look like?

Approximately how big is a leaf? Those look fairly large. How tall is the plant? Is the stem woody or soft?

Does the plant die back in your Northeast England winters? Your location is valuable information, if you modify your profile to show that the information is always available.

Does that have a central stem or do the leaves just grow from the ground?

Does the plant or roots have a particular smell, either fresh or when you disturb it?

Those roost look like rhizomes. Do new plants sprout up wherever a piece of a root is left in the ground? Those roots or rhizomes look fairly soft, not hard like ginger. It also looks like there is not a solid "bulb" at the base but a series or roots. That would eliminate the elephant ear family.

Is the ground where it is growing wet and marshy or fairly dry? Do you want to control it in a cultivated area or across your lawn and surrounding area?

I'm not familiar with that specific plant. To me it looks like something someone would plant in a formal garden but it is invasive and got out of control. It may not be native to your region. There are plenty of people better than me at plant identification but the more information you can give us about it the more likely someone will hit on it. Good luck and again :frow
 

so lucky

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Colin, maybe you could ask your neighbors if they have it in their gardens. That might give you a clue as to whether it's a local weed or something planted and gone wild in your garden. And they might know what it is. Also, do you ever see it when you are out in the area? Roadside or growing in vacant lots?
It reminds me of something but I can't quite name it. Is there a flower or seed bract? Can you give us an idea of the size of the leaf?
 

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