Dipsacus Fullonum, commonly known as Wild teasel or Fuller’s Teasel.
Family: Caprifoliaceae.
Flowering from July to September.
The Wild Teasel is mainly a biennial herbaceous plant, sometimes growing perennially.
Prefers growing in damp grasslands and woodland areas, will also be seen along roadsides, pond margins, pastures, meadows and waste land sites.
A fully matured plant, can reach heights of up to 2 to 3 metres. The small pale lavender-coloured flowers grow in a mass, on a large cylindrical shaped cone, which can be up to 10cm in length, from base to tip. These become valuable seed heads, as they remain on the plant throughout the winter months, thus becoming an important food supply for many species of bird, mainly in the finch family, especially Gold Finches. Because of this, Dipsacus Fullonum is encouraged to grow in many Wild Life reserves and also the nature conscious gardener.
Wild teasel can be seen growing across Europe and south into North Africa, also into SW Asia. Wild teasel also grows in many other countries across the world, including the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Sometimes being regarded as a noxious weed in some of these later countries.
The Descriptive named “fullonum”, being known as Fuller’s teasel, refers to this plant was once used in “fulling” (a process of shrinking and weaving cloth after weaving), in the early days of wool manufacturing. By attaching the seed heads (covered with stiff, hooked points) to a spindle for the purpose of teasing (combing) cloth.