Parasitic/invasive roots

Hi everyone on the GC,
I am referring an issue raised by a member of our Bulgarian forum. It concerns the spread of unidentified roots in her garden, which smother her plants. She resides permanently where the garden is and says that the roots did not develop any aerial parts throughout the year (or she has seen none, though she was 'inspecting' carefully...) The roots begin to grow in early spring, starting from brittle bundles which mature and ramify over the season. Some of them had attacked her potted plants. I asked if she used garden soil in the pots and she said that they made home compost from their garden waste and she usually added some compost to her planting mix.
Here are two pictures of a potted cyclamen, which she had to clean recently:

Before...


... and after removal of the roots:



Do you have the slightest idea what this might be?
I'd be grateful to get some answers.

 

You say the roots developed in pot plants and are not roots from the plant that was planted in the pot?
Was the pot in contact with the soil?

 

Hi Angelina

Looks like tree roots going up into the pots, they've found a source of water and nutrients. Have the same problem on my vegetable plot.

Needs a barrier to stop them

 

Hi Angelina, nice to see you again and hope you are well. xx

I don't know or have heard of your problem here in Portugal so I am afraid I cannot help.

 

Could they be moss roots?

 

Moss don't have roots, but they do have free swimming sperm

 

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...-in-spite-of-their-swimming-challenged-sperm/

 

I should have known that! Okay, I'm awake now!

 

Yes, @pete, the roots removed do not belong to the same plant. The plant was grown indoors, so I assume it was not in contact with the soil, but I will ask explicitly.

I will communicate this to her, Zigs. I am not knowledgeable on the subject, but I read about some seed bearing root parasitic plants. With certain species the seeds can retain viability for up to 10 years. The seeds need to adhere to the roots of a host to germinate and in certain unfavourable seasons 'aerial' parts may fail break the surface of the soil.
Actually, I have some of that in my place: Lathraea squamaria. They are not invasive at all, however.

 

Don't think it's Toothwort, the roots look very similar to the ash tree roots that I have. You can dig the plot over in the spring and its fine, but by the time you dig the potatoes up the roots have come back. They really suck all the water out of the ground too