"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , andrewpreece
writes
Difficult one this, as I can't get a picture of the weed. They're
starting
to come through now, light green broad leaves thrusting up through the
earth
( the leaves come up directly, there is no central stalk, the leaves are
folded in half along the centreline as they come up ).
The stalks are not round IIRC, but more like lettuce stalks. In
fact, the whole plant resembles a lettuce ( not that you'd want to eat
it )
eventually, with tongue-like leaves growing outwards and upwards.

Does it grow in a flat rosette on the grown? Or does it grow taller,
like a lettuce that is bolting - your comment below suggests a rosette
or a cabbage shape?

Are the leaves lettuce-like, ie thin and light green, or do they get
thicker? Are they smooth or hairy? Are the edges smooth or serrated? How
big are the individual leaves?

I let some
grow last year and they got to over a foot across., but I never saw any
flowers or central stalk.

It might be biennial, is growth one year, flowers the next. Try letting
grow some of the ones you let grow last year, and see what happens this
year. Identification is much easier when you have flowers.

The young leaves are vaguely D shaped, slightly
finely serrated, maybe with a touch of red in the stalk occasionally. The
plant spreads by rhizomes, white, some 2-3mm across.

I haven't the faintest!! A foot across is quite a big beast.

Have a look at coltsfoot (white downy underneath), alkanet - dark green
leaves with short bristly hairs, persicaria (another member of dock
family), nippleweed, small flowered willowherb.

I don't necessarily think it's any of these, but if you could look at
them and say how they differ from/are similar to yours, it's help with
the identification.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Thanks for the replies: I had already visited the suggested website.
The weed does not resemble coltsfoot, alkanet, persicaria, nippleweed
or small flowered willowherb ( I've had all of those except alkanet
growing in my garden, and I've seen alkanet in the wild, none of these are
close ).

Much research leads me to the conclusion that the mystery weed is
a member of the Asteraceae(=compositae) family, that is, Hawkweed (Hieracium
Anglicum???? ).

It appears that this is a large group, extremely complicated and difficult
to identify.
Nevertheless they are supposed to flower, but I've never seen them make any
attempt at it......even though I dig 'em up, I would have thought the few I
let grow
on last year would've flowered, but perhaps, as suggested, they are biennial
( I dug them up anyway at the end of the season, doubtless if I'd let them
be I'd be
looking at flowers right now ).

To identify them positIvely I would need to let them grow unmolested for a
couple
of years and then buy a very expensive textbook, Flora Europaea. I shan't
bother
I think! Thanks for the replies anyway, I just thought that since I had so
much
trouble with it, gardeners might recognise my weed right away,

cheers,

Andy.