teazle, teasel

[Arcy]

Dear All,

Please provide the scientific name of the teasel (let's say the common teasel) so that I can put it in the glossary and find the right Romanian name of the plant.

Thank you very much.

[almostnormal]

common teasel's latin name is dipsacus fullonum

[Arcy]

Hello, Almostnormal!

And thank you for your answer. Do you mean it is raining where you live? Well you may just be very lucky, luckier than people like us who are scorching under 35+C and crave for rain for months (we have a drought here and many lost their crops entirely...)

Enjoy the rain, please!

[almostnormal]

Originally Posted by Arcy

Hello, Almostnormal!

And thank you for your answer. Do you mean it is raining where you live? Well you may just be very lucky, luckier than people like us who are scorching under 35+C and crave for rain for months (we have a drought here and many lost their crops entirely...)

Enjoy the rain, please!

i was until all my survey maps disintegrated. i'll try and send some your way...

[Tursiops2]

hi Arcy, I thought you might like to know the origin of the name "teasel".

Teasels produce a large egg-shaped seed head covered in spines. These spines form a natural comb, and in the early days of the textile industry, the seed heads would be fixed to frames and used to comb fabrics like wool, "teasing" the fibres to align them and raise the nap - hence "teasel".

Tursiops2

[Arcy]

Dear Tursiops2,

Thank you for the explanation, it is very interesting.

Best regards.

[wess]

I realize this thread is old but I am not very knowledgable about plants and need some suggestions.
I live in Southampton and would like to know what sort of places are likely to have teazle growing and at what time of year. I saw a photo of some in Hampshire in February on the web but have no idea where it might have been taken.

[eeyore]

it grows all over the place mainly on unimproved grassland margins, waste ground , railway embankments , roadsides etc - it favours a nutrient poor soil. Ther distinctive look is the dried seed head which is most commonly seen in autumn - and is very popular with finches which commonly feed on the seed

[Blackbrook Eye]

Hi Wes, welcome to WAB, as eeyore states teasel grows wild throughout the country, however the teasel used in fabric manufacture is a cultivated variety known as Fullers teasel, which unlike the wild variety, has backward curved bract tips, which form hooks and therefore make it suitable for combing materials, the most famous being the guards regiment busbies, the main growing area for this variety is Somerset, so you dont have that far to travel if you want to find it. On the subject, the seeds of the Fullers variety are larger than the wild ones and are therefore considdered more useful as birdseed. Regards, Keith

[wess]

Eeyore & Blackbrook Eye, many thanks to you both.