Teasel - Dipsacus

The above teasel plant is looking healthy as it pushes through the plant suppressant liner. It is growing in front of a door on a pathway and we are doing our best to avoid it. Really.

J tells me that the seed for this teasel came with us from Cumbria nearly 15 years ago, not only that the original teasel was given to him by Cumbrianblues some years before that. J has a fascination for the teasel plant and when looking at it closely you can see why. The back of the leaf is lined with tiny spines, the front has spines dotted over the leaf. When I looked up its 'real' name - Dipsacus - I found that this is a word derived from the word for thirst and when looking into the centre of the plant it has a cup like receptacle with water sat inside.

This teasel should grow about one and a half metres and once the purple flower has disappeared we hope to attract goldfinch during the winter months.