Powys,
Wales 
Do you recognise this plant? It has a single, grey-green stem (like bamboo without the joints) with leaves at intervals, which form a cup where water collects. The leaves have the look and feel of young primrose leaves, except that they are huge and have spines along the back of the leaf stem. There are also spines along the main stem. The plant is 3 feet high and growing! It has appeared amongst some primroses...is this a coincidence?
9 Jun, 2014
Answers
Lovely for finches later on but a nightmare to deal with and inclined to seed all over the place! As Botanic says, it's in the wrong place! They often grow along the damp edges of fields or waste ground, and I have seen goldfinches on them,which is a real treat these days!
9 Jun, 2014
Thanks. I will pass on your comments to it's 'owner'.
9 Jun, 2014
The owner might be interested that the seed heads used to be used for raising the nap on newly woven cloth hence "teasing out the threads"
Also the leave where they join the stem collect rain water in which insects drown. I've been told that the plant digests these.
9 Jun, 2014
if you are into craft the dried seed heads make lovely 'hedgehogs' to decorate.
10 Jun, 2014
I left one last year and it got to over 8ft tall and similar width. The spikes underneath the leaves, somewhat spikey seed heads and size means that next to a path like that is not going to work in a few months.
10 Jun, 2014
Wouldn't know where to start SBG but would love to see a photo if you ever make any!
10 Jun, 2014
Didn't take photos of them back then. basically a large teasel and a small one glued together and using polycotton make it a dress and a mop cap and then felt for eyes card board feet and a hedgehog is born.
11 Jun, 2014
Heavens! Some folk are so talented. I do wish you'd had a photo, they sound lovely!
11 Jun, 2014
A bird probably left it - it is Teasel. I like them but they can get very big and your looks in the wrong place.
9 Jun, 2014