common teasel
(Dipsacus fullonum L.)

Overview

Appearance

Dipsacus fullonum a biennial plant that exists as a basal rosette until flower stems develop.

Foliage

Rosette leaves are lanceolate to oblanceolate and stem leaves are opposite, lanceolate and fused at the base. All leaves have short prickles on the midvein.

Flowers

The erect flower stems reach 6 ft. (1.8 m) in height and support spiny flower heads that are covered with small, lavender to white flowers in April to September.

Fruit

Fruit is angled and approximately 0.08-0.12 in. (2-3 mm) long. Seeds are small and are dispersed by the wind after the seed-head has dried.

Ecological Threat

Dipsacus fullonum favors disturbed sites such as roadsides, ditches, waste places, riparian sites, fields and pastures in most of the continental United States. Only recently was Dipsacus fullonum distinguished from fullers teasel which was once cultivated for the dried flower heads used in wool processing. It is native to Europe.

Resources

• Weed Field Guide - USDA Forest Service
• Vegetation Management Guide - Illinois Nature Preserves Commission

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• California Invasive Plant Council
• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Colorado Noxious Weeds
• Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
• Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
• Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
• Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin
• Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Significant Threat
• Minnesota Noxious Weeds
• Missouri Noxious Weeds
• Missouri SRISP Species List
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008
• New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
• New Mexico Noxious Weeds
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Ohio Invasive Species Council
• Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
• Washington Noxious Weeds
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
• West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
• Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
• Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40

References