Trying to identify this flower or weed

Question

This came up in my lily patch. Originally it looked like a bud but never bloomed and now it has a pink center and these grass-like (petals?). I don't know what it is or if it's just part of the lily plant. Can anyone identify this? Thank you.

Answer 1

A term that may be helpful in your search for the identity of this plant is "viviparous" which simply means the plant is able to generate bunches of plantlets attached to the parent. A common example of this is the Egyptian or walking onion that readily generates new growing plants on a flowering stem rather like garlic scapes. The plantlets get bigger and force the fruiting stem to bend to the ground where they take root. Onions are closely related to lilies, many of which are viviparous.

You might run an experiment where you tease off one or a few of the plantlets once they look mature and see if you can root them in a pot. Once they get bigger they may offer more clues as to what kind of lily it actually is.

If you try a google image search for "viviparous lily" you will find yourself inundated with water lilies, so search for "viviparous lily -water" which says don't give me water lily. It cuts down the possibilities quite a lot.