In article ,
Bob Hobden 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.

First thought re the stink was Birthwort, Aristolochia clematis, but
the leaves are wrong shape.

Yes. Upon thinking it over, I am pretty sure that it is an exotic
casual, but I can't guess from where the seed might have come. The
reason that I discounted Solanaceae is the pattern of flower buds;
while its leaves are very odd for those, the family is very variable,
but it might be an anomaly, I suppose. It definitely wasn't any of
the Daturas I know, just on the leaves.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.