Id perennial volunteer flowering

[Tracy 7,072]

I have been doing battle with a perennial that keeps coming back despite my best efforts to extract it.  It appears to be a bulb that keeps pushing out new leaves every year for several years now.  I try to extract it, but have never gotten down far enough to the source bulb or roots.  The reason is that it popped up adjacent to a prized plant that I don't want to damage.  That plant is an Encephalartos inopinus, so I've been reluctant to dig too deep.  This spring, I've let it get much bigger than normal before trying to remove it, and thought I would see what the flowers look like.  I removed the flowers so they don't go to seed in my garden to add more digging, but brought them into the house in a small container so my wife could appreciate them.  The flowers are very fragrant.

Anyone recognize this plant and flowers?  The strap leafed plant next to my E inopinus along with flower photos, and perspective on the plant I don't want it to invade (E inopinus).

[Silas_Sancona 8,088]

25 minutes ago, Tracy said:

I have been doing battle with a perennial that keeps coming back despite my best efforts to extract it.  It appears to be a bulb that keeps pushing out new leaves every year for several years now.  I try to extract it, but have never gotten down far enough to the source bulb or roots.  The reason is that it popped up adjacent to a prized plant that I don't want to damage.  That plant is an Encephalartos inopinus, so I've been reluctant to dig too deep.  This spring, I've let it get much bigger than normal before trying to remove it, and thought I would see what the flowers look like.  I removed the flowers so they don't go to seed in my garden to add more digging, but brought them into the house in a small container so my wife could appreciate them.  The flowers are very fragrant.

Anyone recognize this plant and flowers?  The strap leafed plant next to my E inopinus along with flower photos, and perspective on the plant I don't want it to invade (E inopinus).

Possibly  Onion Weed / Fragrant False Garlic, Nothoscordum gracile ( Amaryllidaceae / Asparagales )  Mexico and parts of S. America.:  If that, the Bulb is apparently edible, used as a Garlic substitute.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/78233-Nothoscordum-gracile
 

Edited April 8 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[Tracy 7,072]

8 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

If that, the Bulb is apparently edible, used as a Garlic substitute.

Thank you Nathan.  When trying to remove it in the past I have gone down about 6"-8" but still haven't reached the bulb.  I removed the bloom fearing that if pollinated, the flowers might spread seed more in that area where I don't want it growing.  It's actually an attractive plant if growing in the right space but isn't that true of most plants.

[Silas_Sancona 8,088]

3 hours ago, Tracy said:

Thank you Nathan.  When trying to remove it in the past I have gone down about 6"-8" but still haven't reached the bulb.  I removed the bloom fearing that if pollinated, the flowers might spread seed more in that area where I don't want it growing.  It's actually an attractive plant if growing in the right space but isn't that true of most plants.

Think you'd have to dig down something like a foot to get to the Bulb.. Grow fairly deep apparently..  Keeping it from seeding may help, but these also reproduce by producing numerous bulblets / offsets. Seed can be blown around in the wind / carried from place to place by floating so if there are any more growing nearby, there's always the chance more will appear somewhere on your property later.


 

[Tracy 7,072]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Think you'd have to dig down something like a foot to get to the Bulb.. Grow fairly deep apparently..  Keeping it from seeding may help, but these also reproduce by producing numerous bulblets / offsets. Seed can be blown around in the wind / carried from place to place by floating so if there are any more growing nearby, there's always the chance more will appear somewhere on your property later.

Yes, this one dates back to moving dirt after we did a remodel and everything in this part of the garden was still in pots.  Either a bulb or seed must have been in the soil when I mounded it to plant the cycad.  I guess I should consider myself lucky that it hasn't spread.  I'll try to extract it again, very carefully trying to avoid any of my cycad's roots which won't be easy.  There are coralloid roots visible near a lot of my drip emitters in the garden, with some being feet away from the suspected cycad, and this one has them scattered around it.