Early Weeds
Whoever it is, it belongs to the genus Allium, in the Alliaceae or onion family, which includes the chives, onions and garlic we cook with, and about six hundred species in thirty genera worldwide (excepting Australasia). The family was formerly included in Amaryllidaceae, being intermediate between them and Liliaceae.
It could also be that I actually have more than one species (I certainly have my fair share).
Most of mine have bulbs like these in the scan. Very garlic looking, in that each larger bulb forms small offsets that fall off easily when you yank and remain in the ground to start a new clump.
However, some seem much more like scallions, being less bulb shaped, with no offsets. The species that forms offsets also form a sort of nutlet, seen at the far left of this image. It is cleverly earth toned and if you don't look carefully, you will miss it, leaving it to grow for you another year.
Here's a close-up of that "nutlet" (probably not what they are actually called), which is about a quarter inch (0.6 cm) long, curved on one half and flat on the other.
The covering is stiff, not papery, but inside is a bulb of the same shape that will sprout and grow on. Allium seed is small and black, so I know these are not seeds.
I have never tried using herbicides on these plants, but have read posts from those who say that Round Up is not very effective - plus I note that alliums are not listed on the Round Up web site. Most of mine seem to be adept at inserting themselves into clumps of other plants, so even if I tended to use herbicides (which I don't), I'd be reluctant to do so, for fear of losing the plant I want.
If allowed to flower, mine produce not a "flower", but a papery wrapped, sometimes pointed, globe of aerial bulblets, either whitish or sometimes pink or purple stained. This occurs in summer and I try very hard not to allow these "flowers" to mature because the small bulblets fall to the ground and germinate (or grow) immediately, providing hundreds of tiny onions where there had only been one.
I think these bulbs are the type that pull themselves into the ground with contractile roots, because, if allowed to fall, they sprout almost on top of the ground, but if left
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