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Project Noah Nature School
Dipsacus fullonum
The inflorescence is a cylindrical array of lavender flowers which dries to a cone of spine-tipped hard bracts. It may be 10 centimeters long. The dried head persists afterwards, with the small seeds maturing in mid-autumn.
It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it is known in the Americas, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand as an introduced species and often a noxious weed.
The genus name is derived from the word for thirst, and refers to the cup-like formation made where sessile leaves merge at the stem. Rain water can collect in this receptacle; this may perform the function of preventing sap-sucking insects such as aphids from climbing the stem. An experiment has shown that adding dead insects to these cups increases the seedset of teasels, implying partial carnivory. Thanks Karen for the ID!
Spotted on Aug 24, 2014
Submitted on Aug 25, 2014
