Teasel

Today's the day ....................... to name that plant

This unmistakable spikey flower head that looks a bit like an alien species belongs to the teasel plant.  The dried heads were once used in the textile industry to raise the nap on woollen cloth - and its name 'teasel' derives from an Old English word that described that process and relates to our verb 'to tease'.

Its posh latin name is Dipsacus - which has a completely different meaning and comes from the Greek word for thirst (dipsa).  It refers to the cup-like formation made where the leaves merge with the stem.  Rain water can collect in these little cups and it was thought that this could be a way of preventing sap-sucking insects such aphids from climbing the stem.  

If you have it in your garden, it's a splendid example of a plant-for-free.  The bees love it when it's first in flower - and the seeds are an important winter food source for birds, particularly goldfinches .......................