a little more about the weed
It can get 12". I think it has a purple flower.It has a purple and a reddish stem the thorns are on the stem. It has a tap root. If you cut it of at the base it gets busher like basil. The leaf has saw like edges and the reddish purple is in the middle of the leaf near the veins

I think I have this, as well. Anyone??

A photo worth hundreds of words.

I wish I could figure out how to post pictures

You are welcome to e-mail the pictures to me.

While we're at it, may I chime in with a mysterious thorny weed of my own? It has long thorns- not numerous small ones like Canada Thistle. In fact, aside from the thorns, it doesn't look much like thistle at all to me. It's grown to be over a foot tall I believe, and every part is thorny, aside of course from the showy yellow flowers that has a musty-sweet smell to them. The unopened flowers look like perfectly round, thorny balls, or pods.

I believe another one popped up in one of my pots and I pulled it. But I've never seen this weed anywhere before. I may have planted it but forgotten about it? Any ideas??

It is a musk thistle!! See link below.

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/home_garden/a/a_thorny_problem

They are pretty flowers, but owwww!

I brushed my arm up against a tall prickly weed today out on the edge of my driveway.It was about 3 feet tall. My arm instantly started burning and broke out in whelts and started to tingle. Two hour later it is still burning and swollen. What could this plant be?

Thorny problems from everywhere, and I have no answers.... But Gail, that sounds like an fairly severe allergic reaction, not just a plant toxin. If you have any antihistamines/"allergy meds" available, take them. Odds are that things will ease back, even without the meds, but if they don't, and you feel worse, especially if you feel worse all over.... Get thee to an emergency room!

Emailed her privately, as well. Hoping she's taking good care of herself. Sending good thoughts....

Hi Gail, hope you're feeling better! Could it have been Stinging Nettle?

we have a big problem in our community garden with a very nasty thorny weed that none of us have seen before. it has a reddish tint in the stems and leaves, kind of a clover shaped leaf, a longish seed head, like a plume, and very long, sharp thorns even on very small plants. If you cut it, it bushes. the only way to get rid of it is to pull it young, with leather gloves you can't touch it. when it gets too big, i cut it off at the base and try to catch it as it grows again. no pics cause it's winter, but it is either a perennial or reseeds, not sure. any ideas as to ID? Northern Illinois.

I have a horrible weed growing across my front lawn, they keep popping up EVERYWHERE!!! My mom has pulled several but were one goes another grows, taproot I guess? But to my knowledge this is the first year they've reared their ugly heads, a small creeper plant with tiny leaves but a horrible thorn! I plopped a bare foot on one and had a sore spot for the rest of the day. In all of our yard they're only in the front... they haven't showed in the garden but they now love to attract foot traffic... Me and my family LOVE to meander around our house bare-foot and free, but these menaces have me scared to walk out my front door without shoes!!!

Help please!!!

~Ino***

A picture would be invaluable, and a new post would be good, too.

To post a picture just click on the tab above that says 'choose file' - there's no way we can identify all these different plants in one post with no pictures.

Think I finally found it. Google, Spiny Clotbur Xanthium Spinosum. I have one that I just pulled as it was starting to flower.

Just yesterday I was watering and weeding my garden; I wasn't paying much attention to what I was pulling until I grabbed onto and pulled this weed. Ouch that hurt!!!! I researched it online and found many pictures of it but no names with the picture. I am in Illinois if that helps also.