Common broomrape (Orobanche minor)

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Comment by Julie 2 hours ago

Yes could have been England originally.  Yes probably birds, but maybe your boots after a trek in the bush?  We have so many things popping up in the garden that we haven't planted, the most prolific being blackberry briars, difficult to trace their roots and very hard to stop them growing.  We used to have asparagus in the garden border where our conservatory stands, think it could have been frost sensitive as one year it just didn't grow at all.  Yes looks like leaves are prolific Vlada.

We have a plant growing too abundantly, it has little yellow flowers and the seed pods form in a ball shape but when the seeds ripen the individual seeds have hooks, so I've been trying to get them cut down before the seed heads form as they stick to clothes and we've had to pick them out of the puppy when she's staying.  

Wood Avens

link about the plant on The Wildlife Trust site

I actually bought this plant from a garden centre when we were planting out the back garden when we moved in, I wish I hadn't !  The other plant I bought at the same time was self heal, which is fine, self heal is edible, I tried a leaf a few years ago.  We find the odd bit in the grass and occasionally in the slate path

Core Members Comment by Ꮙℓἇ∂ἇ..aka Reɪvən ღ 15 hours ago

Well it is rare here also, but I have seen it a few times in my short life, I've seen it in the bush also on my treks..so its a very old spore, just where it originally came from IDK I'd say England though it does grow in North Africa, and Macaronesia too.. it was awesome to find it in my garden, and under a native tree at that.. I wonder if birds arn't bringing the spores on their feet. I was clearing those horrid bear beeches on my back section and it was under one of them, you can see the huge leaf of it in the background of the photo. It dosn't need sunlight to start to grow as most of its growing is done underground then it pokes its head up above ground in stalks, just like how a asparagus plant grows.. 

Comment by Julie yesterday

here's what the online AI say about it in UK

, where it is the most widespread and commonly recorded species of broomrape. 

Where It Grows in the UK

• Distribution: It is widely recorded across southern England, becomes less common in Wales, and is rarely found in lowland Scotland. It is largely absent from the Scottish Highlands and outer islands. 

Core Members Comment by Ꮙℓἇ∂ἇ..aka Reɪvən ღ on Monday

This is the first time I've ever seen it in my garden too, so took a picture of it and had to look it up on google search, I thought maybe it was a seed that lay dorment in the soil from a previous owner that was here 20yrs ago in my house, or a bird has managed to pick it up on its foot maybe and the rain has washed it down to the bottom of the tree,.. so on looking it up I found that's the case..

Broomrape (Orobanche and Phelipanche species) propagates primarily by producing massive quantities of tiny, dust-like seeds that rely on chemical signals from a host plant to germinate and attach to the roots.. isnt that amazing..

Comment by Julie on Monday

I'm not sure if we have this here in England, I'd have to look it up

Core Members Comment by Ꮙℓἇ∂ἇ..aka Reɪvən ღ on Monday

Parasitic Nature: It lacks chlorophyll (green pigment) and cannot produce its own food. Instead, it attaches itself to the root systems of host plants—commonly clovers, legumes, and other broadleaf plants—to draw water and nutrients.

Appearance: It features fleshy, upright, brownish-purple or violet-tinted flower spikes with small scale-like leaves rather than normal green foliage.

Status: In New Zealand and many other regions, it is considered an exotic/naturalized species that pops up seasonally in lawns, gardens, and pastures where host plants grow..