Did your weather also turn cool/cold How waterlogged are they.

Your caladium reminds me of what happens in the fall for me if the caladium corms are left out for too long and it's cool and rainy....they start to rot.

Is the unknown plant growing from/by a stump

Can you provide a closup pic?

I can take another picture tomorrow. The lens is about a foot away. It was never water logged, but we've been getting good rains about once a week the past few weeks. I just remembered, that space is where I empty the vacuum canister and I raked it all away two weeks ago. How weird!

The Caladium was perfection until after the storm. If you look closely you can see where hail went through it. I don't think it's rotted or there would be drooping before now.

The Caladium should dry out and perk up. Is there any water in it that could be poured out even if there are drain holes.? The roots need to breathe and can't if the soil is saturated.

If there is root rot cutting them back isn't going to help. You'll know soon enough whether or not it can be saved.

I forgot to say YES it got cold outside! lol. It's been in the 80's off and on for the last couple of months, today it's in the 40's, with more high wind. I'm going to bring the plant indoors now.

They really don't like temps under 60

We've had cool nights and it's done fine, but not like it is now. I brought it inside last night and oh dear. Even if it stood up those poor leaves have so many holes in them it's pathetic. I'm going to nurse it indoors and cut all the long stems off, and let the babies take over.

Re the plant id, what zone are you in? i'm in 5 and I've never seen anything like the first picture.

Zone 7. Here's another picture, look at big the root under it. I thought it was a clod of dirt but when I scratched it there was white under it.

Now here's the interesting thing. That spot is literally where I emptied the vacuum canister, no one could see it but me. I did it for a few years and actually kind of made it into an experiment to see how it did in the rain, then sun, then mostly shade. It became hard but most of it had broken down when I raked it not long ago. Could I have vacuumed up a seed from something on the kitchen floor? lol

I lightened the picture just a tiny bit.

Could it be a type of Mistletoe? It is our state "flower." I need to read more on it to see if they can grow on the ground.

Why don't you post this on "name that plant" forum! they'll tell you in a heartbeat. And be sure to mention where you live (the area and zone) to help.

Name that Plant!

Oly, I didn't know such a forum existed, thanks! On my way now!

Mistletoe is a parasite plant that grows on a shrub or tree. I can't find the zones that it grows in, but I did find that it grows in CA. The pictures I've seen of mistletoe don't look like your plant. Hmmmmm.

Jmc, Mistletoe is our state flower, isn't that silly? I've only seen it in trees during the winter. Hopefully I'll find out soon!

I wouldn't bring the caladium inside, the temp extreme change could shock it. Maybe put it in the garage on a cookie sheet cooling rack to let it drain a bit. It will be protected but not subject to extremes. I once managed to kill a mother-in-law's tongue by moving it inside from the cold, and you know those are hard to kill!

Thanks to Oly, I'm pretty sure it's a Bromide, which is like moss. I'm going to read more about it, there's a canyon in OK somewhere full of it.

Bpath, I did bring it inside two nights ago because it was supposed to get into the 30's, which would have shocked it more. I used to grow them as houseplants, very pretty! I kept it in the sink and it dried out pretty good.

I'm going to clip all the stems because hail damage to the leaves is bad. There are a lot of new shoots and it's even getting ready to bloom!

ETA: I read most people cut the blooms off because they take energy away from new foliage growth.

Those might be lichens. There are many kinds. Lichens are a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and algae. The fungus provides the base for the algae to grow on, the algae does the photosynthesis. There are many types/forms. The fact that it is growing on what appears to be a tree branch is what makes me think it is lichen. But I can't get much perspective from your photo. Lichens are smallish.

Botany joke: Did you hear about the gal named Algae? She took a liken' to a fun guy.

I swore I read "Bromide," but I think it's in the Bryophyte family. Looking at Lichen pictures they seem flatter than what I have. Leaves are somewhat similar though. I think the mystery continues Good joke!

Some lichens are flat but they have a vast array of shapes, due to the vast array of fungus shapes. Some are common but others are not. They are mostly found in low nutrient environments, like in the northern regions of the world, so most folks only know of a few common shapes, if at all. They are very sensitive to air pollution. If you google "types of lichens" or "shapes of lichens" and click on the "Images" tab of the results page, you will find lots of examples. I know just enough about them to get myself in trouble so I can't definitively identify your photo of a lichen, but I have seen mistletoe, and that does not look like it, unless its been squished quite a bit, and then all bets are off.

The poster on the Name that plant board suggested Liverwort. I do think that's what it is after looking more at the pictures. There is a leaf liverwort and a thallose liverwort.

Below is a link to thallose liverwort pictures, but I see similar on the leafy.

If you look closely at my picture you'll see little Rhizoids which I see are on liverwort.

I admire anyone who knows all of this Botany talk! lol

Liverwort

Well, unfortunately there are a lot of different shapes for liverworts too. Can you put something next to it for a size comparison. Also, some context, where is it growing?

Sure! As soon as the sun's up I'll take a picture.

Here you go! It's an itty bitty thing, about the size of a fist with it's own tree trunk. lol

Is that part of a bed? If not, I'd pull that plant up, clean up the space a bit and plant grass. If it's a bed, some mulch would spruce it up. The roses are doing well!

Thanks for the advice Tina but I'm quite satisfied with the way it looks now. The space doesn't need to be cleaned up either, there are rock steps and a little walkway for that side of the porch. The extra rock in the foreground is for my use, which I generally put pots of flowers there.

Was there some kind of plant there before? Is your mystery plant growing on the stump of some bush or something that was there previously?

Nothing except a few bedding plants at one time. It's not a tree stump because when I scratched it, the texture was similar to a potato, but a bit harder. It was soft.

Pink, this is so cool! The two plants aren't related, but I was trying to remember what bedding plant I had in that spot, it was Spiderwort. lol. I loved that plant and after a few years it quit coming up.

However, one summer my best friend, my dog Grace passed away. We buried her in the orchard on the opposite side of the acre. This was after the Spiderwort had died. A year later I was at her grave and there was a Spiderwort growing right next to it. Kind of like The Red Fern Grows. sniff.

I know they're considered wild flowers but I've never seen one here. I'm going to plant more if I can find them.

Spiderwort

Well allrighty then!! If you are satisfied, that's all that matters.

You assumed quite a bit by telling me to "clean up" the space as if it's an eye sore. Quite insulting since I spend hours outside, like yesterday in the cold wind, making my space pretty. :) If you click on the picture it should be large so you can see how small the space is. It doesn't get sun so grass won't grow there.

Besides, it's the area where my grandkids and I hunt for treasures after big rains. A house built over a hundred years ago used to sit there and we find all sorts of neat things after a good rain. I think I found a great treasure, the plant. Why would I get rid of it? Good time for them to learn a bit of science too.

I found another treasure when I took the last picture, I'll take a picture of it, and my little granddaughter should be thrilled to put it in her treasure box.