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Does anyone have a picture of teasel roots they could upload? Or even a picture of juvenile teasel. We have a mature plant on our site but we also have a young weed with similar shaped leaves and roots very similar to couch grass. I am trying to find out if this young weed is teasel so we know to ask the person who's plot it is on to remove it. The young weed is terribly invasive and very hard to iradicate, I read yesterday teael is like this too.
If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.

Don't have a pic, but when young they are like a small rosette of prickly leaves, and have a reasonably thin taproot. Couch grass has long roots and sort of runs, with new grass popping up from nodes along the runners. Will try to get some pics. Have plenty of it !

the young weed isn't spiky will try to get pic. It's roots look just like couch grass roots where they break off and re seed.

Some pics here:

The young weed looks like your first and second picture, roots included but without the spikes. he root then seems to go on for ages popping up new ones along the way.

Most likely some kind of thistle then, many root laterally like couch and have prickly leaves like teasles. Teasles seed freely and don't need to move out under the ground!
;D

It sounds like creeping thistle, which can be a serious weed.

On my allotment I like to think that there's enough space for my needs and those of resident birds and beasts. Teasel is fantastic as a food source for finches. Have you ever seen a flock of Gold Finches feasting on Teasel??  It brings joy to my heart.. ::) :)

I love teasle too, I have a huge one growing amongst other wild flowers in the middle of my plot.  Yes it produces loads of little seedlings in the spring, but they're easy to remove unlike some other weeds I could mention!

I grow it in the garden as I just love them, but even though I left the flower heads in situ, and even though I do feed the birds just a little with fat balls, and even though I know we have finches as I see them in the bushes, not a one did I see on my teasles.  Maybe this year....