In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 06/06/18 17:58, Nick Maclaren wrote:
I stopped by the side of an A-road, and it had some self-seeded wheat
and oilseed rape - easy. But there was a plant that baffled me. It
looked and felt like a giganic sow thistle, with a stem 1 cm or more
thich and a metre high. Its leaves were alternate, c. 20 cm long,
and divided to 2/3 their depth into 5 rough-edged lobes. After handling
it gently, my hand stank until I washed it. But the really puzzling
thing was that its flower-bugs were in a sort of spire arrangment
(line a loose Spirea). I can't even think of what family it might be.

No picture, unfortunately, as my camera was packed.

Could it have been Hyoscyamus niger (henbane)?

Thanks, but not. There wasn't a hair in sight, and the leaves were
smooth enough to be almost shiny. Also, I am pretty sure that it
wasn't one of the Solanaceae.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.