Field Guide
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Teasel
Dipsacus fullonum
Not yet photographed by the community
Spiny cone of purple flowers; goldfinches eat the seeds.
Species Profile
Not threatened; listed as Least Concern. Locally common.
- Lifespan
- 2 years (biennial)
- Size & Weight
- 60–200 cm tall; flower heads 2–8 cm long
- Habitat
- Disturbed ground, roadsides, waste areas, and damp meadows throughout lowland Britain.
- UK Distribution
- Found across much of England, Wales, and southern Scotland; generally absent from northern uplands. Native species, non-migratory (plant).
- Diet
- Not applicable (plant; obtains nutrients from soil and sunlight via photosynthesis).
- Predators
- Goldfinches and other seed-eating birds feed on mature seeds; caterpillars of some moth species feed on foliage.
- Mating Season
- Flowers July to September (second year of growth).
- Breeding
- Produces thousands of small seeds dispersed by wind and attached to animal fur; no breeding in animal sense (plant reproduction via seed).
- Behaviour
- In its first year, teasel forms a rosette of spiky leaves; in the second year it produces a tall, rigid stem with distinctive purple-pink flower heads that bloom progressively upwards. The plant is notable for its rigid, spiny structure and historical use in textile manufacturing.
- •The dried seed heads were historically used to 'tease' or comb out wool fibres in the cloth-making industry, giving the plant its common name.
- •Teasel flower heads are highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, making them valuable for insect populations.
- •Goldfinches particularly favour teasel seeds and often visit the dried heads in autumn and winter.
- •The plant's hollow stem was once used as a natural water vessel, as it cups rainwater at the leaf bases.
- •Teasels are naturalized in Britain, arriving during the Roman period and now widespread across lowland areas.
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