Perhaps Bletilla striata. Although it also looks a lot like a palm seedling! Presumably unlikely.

Definitely a palm seedling. I've seen a carpet of them beneath Trachycarpus fortunei (frequently sold and planted in our region) in the Carl English Garden at the government locks in Seattle in the past so palm seedlings appearing spontaneously in our area is not completely unknown.

Saying it was a ‘division’ from a friend and was a few years old put me off the scent. But if a palm is possible I’ll revert to palm.

Absolutely it's a baby palm. If it came out of a similar situation to what I saw at the English Garden there were many seedlings growing close together in a small space. Which could explain anjeer calling his a division.

Thank you both! It does look more like the palm seedling than the Bletilla. However, I remember receiving some Bletillas from the same person. The Trachycarpus is hardy in our area and the yellowing leaves may be the nitrogen deficiency that sometimes affects young palms, I just read about that. I'll give it some fertilizer and wait.

Now that my bletilla are emerging I can see they look nothing like this. Must be the Trachycarpus.

Notice different leaf consistency