That's White Bryony, Bryonia dioica. You will need to dig every scrap of the root out. If it's been there for a while, there will be an enormous turnip-shaped thing as well as long, flexible roots. It does have attractive berries in autumn, but it's a thug and can completely cover small plants and shrubs.
Brilliant, thanks landgirl100. It may be of long standing so I can now attack it, and it's friend under the conifer hedge, with an informed approach. Many thanks.
BrendaScott53 - the other pair have a fingertip missing and a ripped palm ha ha!
Zoomer44 - I have pulled up several of these and this was the biggest but they all have this parsnip/swede like root. One had about the same amount of top growth but a root like a pencil-thin carrot so I think I got that one in its first year. Another had no root at all because it appeared to be growing in concrete so I have to keep my eye on that, if it comes back I'll paint SBK on it.
The seeds can be viable for many years apparently so it might be a while before I'm in the clear. I know I have another one under my conifer hedge because I pulled the top off it before I knew what it was so I'm just waiting for it to identify itself again and then I'll get my weed hook out again!
Wow, well done with those! I've just dug a few out myself, but one is right next to a fence so I've sprayed it with Roundup - it seems to like it so far!
They do like to nestle themselves into boundaries don't they? I have a hedgerow at the bottom and have not investigated it for English Mandrake yet as it's also known - quite an interesting plant if you Google it. Every time I find one now I think, "oh no!" ha ha.
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That's White Bryony, Bryonia dioica. You will need to dig every scrap of the root out. If it's been there for a while, there will be an enormous turnip-shaped thing as well as long, flexible roots. It does have attractive berries in autumn, but it's a thug and can completely cover small plants and shrubs.
Brilliant, thanks landgirl100. It may be of long standing so I can now attack it, and it's friend under the conifer hedge, with an informed approach. Many thanks.
Thought you might like to see the result of the attack.
OMG - Landgirl wasn't kidding when she said it had a big root, and I thought I had problems with dock and dandilions
BrendaScott53 - the other pair have a fingertip missing and a ripped palm ha ha!
Zoomer44 - I have pulled up several of these and this was the biggest but they all have this parsnip/swede like root. One had about the same amount of top growth but a root like a pencil-thin carrot so I think I got that one in its first year. Another had no root at all because it appeared to be growing in concrete so I have to keep my eye on that, if it comes back I'll paint SBK on it.
The seeds can be viable for many years apparently so it might be a while before I'm in the clear. I know I have another one under my conifer hedge because I pulled the top off it before I knew what it was so I'm just waiting for it to identify itself again and then I'll get my weed hook out again!
Wow, well done with those! I've just dug a few out myself, but one is right next to a fence so I've sprayed it with Roundup - it seems to like it so far!
They do like to nestle themselves into boundaries don't they? I have a hedgerow at the bottom and have not investigated it for English Mandrake yet as it's also known - quite an interesting plant if you Google it. Every time I find one now I think, "oh no!" ha ha.
I've never heard it called English mandrake.
I love the way the berries are left hanging on almost nothing when the stems dry off in autumn.
In the sticks near Peterborough