It it's a teasel, the leaf bases will surround the stem, forming a vessel that fills with water when it rains, drowns insects indiscriminately and slops over your feet when you move the plants around. The flowers are prickly and purple and attract bees. The seed heads are reputed to be appreciated by goldfinches, and as they visit my feeders, I grew some teasels for their benefit. The goldfinches still came, but only to the feeders; I never saw one of them eat a teasel seed. The teasels still managed to distribute their seeds all over the garden, but I shan't get caught again, I'm weeding them out.
Same experience for me with teasels spreading all over. Never heard of the bristly picris tho I've seen them without knowing the name. Plenty in the lanes round here actually and probably in our paddock which has been neither grazed nor sprayed nor mown for 30 months now and is a-buzz with insects and birds and, no dobt, western whip snakes. OH saw one sunning itself earlier today. Trying to get warmed up I expect.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I think Dove is right, it is Bristly Ox tongue, the leaves are not right for teasel.
He calls her the chocolate girl Cause he thinks she melts when he touches her She knows she's the chocolate girl Cause she's broken up and swallowed And wrapped in bits of silver
Posts
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/bristly-oxtongue
I see its now called Helminthotheca echiodes ... just cos I can remember Picris 🙄
Cause he thinks she melts when he touches her
She knows she's the chocolate girl
Cause she's broken up and swallowed
And wrapped in bits of silver