Another Mystery weed.

This is why it is always good to dig up established weeds. You never know if they are spreading under ground when you aren't looking.

There were two of these. I wasn't even able to get all of the underground roots, as they went deep into the ground, but I hope I got enough to keep it from coming back.

Here is the first, and the smaller of the two after I first dug it up


Here it is again (much later after I dug up more of the roots, hence the wilting). I had to take it out in pieces


Here is a larger specimen of the same kind, in the ground.


I'd love to find out what this is. The two were not connected to one another, though they appeared to be perfectly capable of spreading underground. Their roots went fairly deep, and had a really good grip on the soil.

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Update: In an effort to satisfy my curiosity about this plant, I posted a picture of it on the GardenWeb forums at iVillage. Click here to read the responses. The general consensus so far is that it is a tree seedling. On the one hand, this kind of makes me wish I had moved or potted it, rather than killing it and digging it up. On the other hand, I don't know if that would have been a good idea either. Live and learn. :)