Looks like bearded Iris.

I'm not sure it's bearded iris, but I agree, it looks like an iris.

I agree that it appears to grow like iris, but ...

I don't know what size the bricks are, or the hosta leaves, or various other plants which I may or may not be identifying correctly -- Rose of Sharon? Persicaria? -- but the oxalis in the foreground is undeniable....

So compared with the oxalis, the grassy leaves look much too narrow to be bearded iris.

Unless maybe a dwarf bearded iris ... but I haven't seen any for more than 50 years, and I really don't remember the foliage size.

Are there other irises which could be that small?

Yes, it looks like an Iris, however lets throw in Schizostylis as an option.

Ones that need to be divided, smushed/shrinking to oblivion? TY for calling me out on the 'bearded' part. I agree, can't tell that from this pic.

It looks a bit like blue-eyed grass.

If it's less than 1 foot tall I would say blue eyed-grass too. looks like somethings been eating the front part where the leaves are clipped.

But again, going by that oxalis, the leaves are much too wide for Blue-eyed grass, aren't they?

Well, as I don't really know that for certain, I'll look it up. 8-)

These are the only Blue-eyed grass species in Connecticut, according to BONAP:

Sisyrinchium angustifolium -- leaves no more than 3/16" wide (MObot) [And note, echozone5b, that this species can be up to 2' tall.]

S. atlanticum -- leaves up to 1/8" (wisplants)

S. fuscatum -- leaves to 3 mm. (mass.gov)

S. montanum -- leaves to 3 mm. (naturenorth.com)

S. mucronatum -- leaves less than .1" (minnesotawildflowers.info)

The plants could be dug up to see if they are connected by rhizomes. Assuming they've been there long enough to form rhizomes, I would say it is blue-eyed grass if there are none.

Hosta and iris are usually found closer together at garden centers than hostas and blue-eyed grass, so the plant could be a non-blue-eyed grass iris. But if there are no rhizomes I would say it was a blue-eyed grass.

Wish somebody would ID my leafless, flowerless seeding plant.

Just noticed it is growing in a spreading circle the way a non-blue-eyed grass iris would spread so I'm probably wrong. Again.

Siberian iris

There are many other species or beardless iris types it could be besides Siberian. Leaf blades look very short to be Siberian and too narrow to be bearded (even dwarf bearded). Specifics likely to be undetermined until plant blooms :-))

And it is definitely an iris. If you look closely to the lower left of the main clump you can clearly see some cut or newly emerging iris fans. Sisyrinchium doesn't grow like that.

Cheer up, echozone! I've been wrong so many times you'll never catch up.

Siberian Iris growing in a good amount of shade can be that small and floppy

Why not liriope?

Here is a link that might be useful: Google images

The only baby liriope I've ever seen was a surprise volunteer in my front lawn a few years ago; no idea how it got here -- maybe a seed hitched a ride on the lawn guy's mower. When I first saw it, it had 6-8 leaves. The leaves were oriented like the pages of a book, one flat against the other. (I tried in vain to find a photo online which shows a closeup of the base of such a young liriope.)

Iris leaves, on the other hand, grow in a flat fan. And that growth pattern can be seen in the OP's photo.

I vote Siberian iris...leaves of blue eyed grass are more blue-green.

This post was edited by rina_ on Tue, Sep 23, 14 at 0:12