# wild teasel (*Dipsacus fullonum*) Wild teasel is a tall plant with spiky flowers that look like little purple brushes. It grows in fields and along roadsides, and it helps attract butterflies and bees! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 7 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![wild teasel](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Dipsacus_fullonum1.jpg&width=800) Photo: MPF, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dipsacus_fullonum1.jpg) ## Appearance The wild teasel is a tall, spiky plant with a distinctive, conical flower head. It has small, purple-pink flowers that bloom in a unique band around the middle of the head, moving up and down. Its robust stems and leaves are covered in sharp prickles, and its dried seed heads remain upright through winter. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Dipsacales - **Family:** Caprifoliaceae - **Genus:** Dipsacus ## Interesting facts - Goldfinches love to pluck seeds from its prickly, tall stalks. - Its spiky dried heads were once used to fluff up wool! - Rainwater pools in its leaves, sometimes trapping insects like a tiny pond! - The flowers bloom in a cool band, starting in the middle and spreading up and down! ## Special abilities - **Spiky Shield:** Wild teasel has prickly stems and leaves that protect it from hungry animals wanting a snack. - **Rainwater Cups:** Wild teasel can collect rainwater in its unique leaf bases, creating tiny pools that can trap insects or provide drinks for small creatures. - **Winter Storehouse:** Wild teasel's tough, spiky seed heads persist through winter, providing a vital food source for birds when other food is scarce. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-250 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Biennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Gathers nectar and pollen - **Eaten by:** [European goldfinch](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-goldfinch) (*Carduelis carduelis*) — Feeds on seeds from heads - **Pollinates:** [Painted Lady](https://www.snappit.app/explore/painted-lady) (*Vanessa cardui*) — Sips nectar from flowers - **Eaten by:** [Garden snail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-snail) (*Helix aspersa*) — Consumes young leaves ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Spiky/Thorny](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spiky-thorny): Possessing sharp, pointed projections or spines on the body or surface. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Be careful around the spiky parts of the plant, and always ask an adult before touching new plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify wild teasel? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is wild teasel? 100-250 cm ### How wide does wild teasel spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on wild teasel? 0.5-1 cm ### When does wild teasel bloom? Summer ### Is wild teasel edible? No ### Is wild teasel toxic? None ### What is wild teasel's lifecycle? Biennial ## Where to spot - [E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/e-e-wilson-wildlife-area) — Oregon, US · Nature Reserve - [Fairhaven](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fairhaven) — Washington, US · Neighborhood - [Hoffner Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hoffner-historic-district) — Ohio, US · Historic District - [Mount Airy Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mount-airy-forest) — Ohio, US · Forest - [Arcata Community Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/arcata-community-forest) — California, US · Forest - [Bradford Downtown Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bradford-downtown-historic-district) — Pennsylvania, US · Historic District [View all places to see wild teasel](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/wild-teasel) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Wild Teasel: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wild-teasel)