Dipsacus sativus (L.) Honck.

Indian teasel

Similar species

	Dipsacus fullonum	Dipsacus laciniatus	You are here Dipsacus sativus
Common Name	wild teasel	cutleaf teasel	Indian teasel
Plant	Biennial, and 3–8′ (1–2.5 m) tall. During the first year, the plant is a basal rosette of leaves. In the second year, a tall prickly stem shoots up. After flowering, the stems become woody, persisting through the winter.	Stems are erect, multiply banched with more upward-pointing stems. They are very prickly, and green or deep red in color. Plants grow several years without flowering, then flower and die.	4–6′ (1.2–1.8 m) tall, rarely up to 9′ (2.7 m). Stems have prickles.
Leaves	Basal rosette leaves are puckered, with scalloped edges. Stem leaves are opposite, smaller and clasped cuplike around the stems. They may have wavy edges, and are lanceolate or oblong. Leaves have a prominent white vein, and are hairless.	Opposite, up to 1′ ⨉ 4″ (40 ⨉ 10 cm) near the bottom, reducing steadily in size further up the stem. Young plants that haven’t flowered yet have a basal rosette 1–2½′ (30–83 cm) across, with leaves that are lanceolate or narrowly ovate, and toothed, but not deeply lobed. Flowering plants have leaves are that divided into lobes and further divided, looking almost shredded. They wrap around the stems, forming a cup that may collect water.	A basal rosette of prickly, lanceolate leaves
Flowers	A cylindrical or ovoid flowerhead is 1½–4″ (4–10 cm) tall and 1–1¾″ (3–5 cm) in diameter. A ring of tiny flowers develops first roughly in the middle of the flowerhead. Next, the bands migrate both up and down the flower head. The diminutive flowers are tubular, and white, with four lobes that are lavendar or sometimes pink to purple. Stamens projecting from the tubes are purple-tipped.	An egg- or dome-shaped inflorescence tips each branch. Each inflorescence contains as many as 1500 flowers, and is 2–4″ long ⨉ 1½″ in diameter (5–10 ⨉ 3.8 cm). Without its flowers, it looks a bit like the head of a thistle. Flowers appear first in the middle (or bottom?) of the head, spreading upward and downward. Individual flowers only last a day, so the effect is that horizontal bands of flowers appear on the flowerheads—the entire flowerhead never blooms all at once. Flowers are white, vs. purple for common teasel.	Usually white. The involucre bracts at the base of each flowerhead spread almost straight outward, rather than bending upward. In common teasel, the bracts extend upward and even over the top of the flowerhead. The flowerhead is comprised of around 4 zillion tiny flowers. Each flower is about 1/32″ (1 mm) around, with four overlapping petals that form a rough cylinder. A stigma with two lobes extends some distance from the flower, while the stamens are inside it.
Fruit	The flowerhead dries to form hundreds of seeds, each ⅛–3/16″ (4–6 mm) long.	The large flowerheads dry to form seed repositories. Each flower is replaced by achenes about ¼″ (9 mm) long.	Flowerheads mature to produce up to 2000 seeds each.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Sunny and open sites, such as riparian areas, meadows, grasslands, savannas, forest openings, roadsides, and disturbed sites.	Open disturbed roadsides and waste places, as well as high grade prairie and native woodlot margins.	Most soils, in full sunlight. Most common in somewhat moist ditches, waterways, roads, and forests.

Dipsacus sativus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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