We're a bit stumped so far as well, but are checking with one of our weed specialists. More information and photos may be helpful for us to narrow-down what it might (or might not) be.

• Does the rubbed/crushed foliage or bruised root have a scent?
• Do you remember something similar-looking growing in the yard nearby which flowered or produced any distinctive seed clusters last year?
• Are you able to more closely photograph the foliage, and perhaps pull some leaves off the main stem/clump so we can see their structure and how they attach to the stem or the base of the clump? (Are they folded when emerging, which they appear to be here, or rolled up?)
• Was anything planted in the vegetable garden last year that came from another gardener (like a plant swap)? Or were the veggies grown all started from seed or planted as young nursery-grown transplants? We're wondering if seed-contaminated soil hitched a ride into the bed at some point, though it's also possible wind, water, or wildlife moved seed naturally into the area.

Miri

Thank you for the added information, that is helpful. We're consulting with two of our Extension weed specialists to see if they recognize the plant pictured. We'll get back to you as soon as they have some feedback.

Thank you for the new images. We're still puzzled, but are investigating and will update you soon if we have any educated guesses. Worst-case, if you're running out of time to plant and need to remove them all from the vegetable bed, you might be able to grow a few in a separate pot to let them mature enough to flower (though we can't predict how long that might take), since flowers are extremely helpful in determining plant ID.

Miri

The other weed specialist we consulted is a bit stumped as well, but suspects this might be Star-of-Bethlehem (genus name Ornithogalum, of which two species occur in MD, both invasive). Matching traits include foliage shape and texture and the milky sap, though the taproot is still puzzling, and they tend to only put up foliage in early spring, not autumn. He did find one refence that mentioned they can have a taproot at some point, but he could not confirm that by finding a photo example to compare to yours. Perhaps some young plants that grew from seed develop a taproot before forming the more typical bulb. We are still happy to try identifying the plants if they are kept growing in some fashion (the afore-mentioned potting-up, perhaps, if you clear them out of the planting bed) so they can mature enough to flower for an easier ID.

If they are that particular weed (or any other undesirable perennial), they can be hard to get rid of and would require physical removal (as you are doing) or treatment (potentially more than once) with a systemic herbicide. An herbicide might also need the addition of a surfactant (also called a spreader-sticker) to help the spray stick to its water-repellent waxy foliage for long enough to be absorbed. It might take a week or more for treated plants to show any symptoms of dieback, so don't remove them until they are more fully dead in that case.

Miri

We agree that it doesn't seem to be a great match for Star-of-Bethlehem, but that is our best guess so far. One weed specialist is still investigating, and we will send an update if he suggests some possible IDs in the meantime. You can inquire with the Montgomery County Extension office directly to ask if they accept plant samples, since HGIC is in a separate facility and not a county Extension office. For the future, we do not recommend consuming (even to taste) an unknown plant in case it contains toxic compounds. Granted, a small taste that you spit out might not pose a serious risk, but some plants are much more hazardous than others if chemicals are absorbed into the skin or have oral exposure. Bitter qualities to the sap is unfortunately fairly commonplace and does suggest some defensive compounds against herbivory are present in the plant (as does the milky sap appearance you mentioned), but that trait doesn't narrow-down the possible identities of the plant by much.

Miri

Hello Cindy,

The plants in the photos don't seem to be a match to Yellow Salsify in terms of growth habit and stem characteristics, but that might be a feature of plant age, so we can't be certain until it blooms.

Miri

We can't rule it out yet, and the budded flower looks like it could indeed be Yellow Salsify, but we're not certain. Can you send another photo when it opens fully? This picture is not in focus, so another image of the leaves and how they attach to the stem will also help with ID.

Miri

Thank you for the new set of photos, and your patience while we waited for the plants to mature. Although the blooms are not in focus in either picture, they do look like Yellow Salsify, so we can probably consider the mystery solved. As a weed documented from much of the state (much of the country, in fact), it's certainly plausible it was seeded into the garden from another population in the area, perhaps by wind or wildlife.

Miri