Agree with Ken—— look like tree roots, wrapped around the hosta roots. I would just try to gently separate and see.

If those are tree roots, they’ve somehow attached themselves.

ok... its in your hand.. you ought to know ... go figure on that ...

ken

Spray all the soil off to true bare root and see if they are all attached. Even then it might take some tugging or finesse to separate. The tree roots can really entangle themselves into the hosta roots.

Old dirt that is what I found when I had to remove all my hosta under the maple. Appeared to be attached and were just choking out the really white hosta roots but wrapped as tight as if it were part of the plant.