It's not Japanese knotweed. It's a monocot and looks like something in the Lily family. I would allow it to grow. Could be an ornamental Allium, or a native Uvularia, ect...Polygonatum? Maianthemum? Convallaria?

It's Polygonatum, Solomon's Seal, possibly the variegated form. A tough 1-2 foot tall perennial that can act as a groundcover in part shade or shady areas. Definitely a keeper. The sprouts broken off will not grow or resprout, but next year the roots will send up new shoots even if they sit dormant all summer.

Wonderful news, thank you both!

wonderful ... except that you already broke it off .. yikes.. be a bit more patient .. its only the second day of spring ..

in the future... let us know in every post.. where you are.. big city name .... e.g. i think of knotweed as a warm soil plant .. you dont seem to notice it till later in spring .. ergo.. i wouldn expect to see it in my MI on mid march ...

welcome to the forums.. come back often ...

ken

ps: many of us recommend not doing much the first summer in a new garden ... just observe and plan .... lets see what he prior owners let youl.. good or bad ... killing knotweed would be approved ... lol

Thanks Ken. I’m in Zone 7, plenty of things starting to poke through here. The broken sprout was an accident as I was trying to get a photo of the rhizome. Thanks for the welcome!