Common Teasel bears lavender flowers and long, curved bracts around its prickly oval heads. Its unlobed leaves help distinguish it from Cut-leaved Teasel.
Common Teasel field photograph. Tap the photo to enlarge.
Family Caprifoliaceae
Life cycle Rosette-forming biennial or short-lived perennial; flowers once
Blooms Summer into fall, varying by region
Height Often 2–6 feet
Habitat Sunny fields, roadsides, disturbed ground and moist open habitats
Other names Wild Teasel; Fuller’s Teasel
Synonym Dipsacus sylvestris
Explore photographed sightings and their locations.
Opposite stem leaves join in a cup around the stalk. The blades have wavy or toothed margins, rather than deep lobes. Look at the stem leaves as well as the flower heads.
Look in sunny, open ground, including roadsides, pastures and disturbed fields. It also spreads into prairies, savannas and wet meadow edges. Flowers appear from summer into fall.
Cut-leaved Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus) has deeply divided stem leaves, white flowers and shorter bracts. Common Teasel has unlobed stem leaves, lavender flowers and longer bracts. Compare several traits, especially after flowering.
Many small tubular blooms pack into an oval head. Lavender flowers open in bands across the bristly surface. Long, slender bracts curve upward from below the head.
A low rosette gathers energy before the flowering stalk develops. Some rosettes persist for more than a year. The plant flowers once, produces seed and dies.
This introduced plant can form dense stands that crowd out native vegetation. Dry heads retain seeds; avoid carrying them between sites or collecting them for arrangements. See the sources below for management information.
Introduced in North America. Native from Europe to the Caucasus and northwestern Africa. Kew documents introduced populations across much of the United States, including Wisconsin and Illinois. State records describe distribution, not presence in every county; sightings may include cultivated plants.
Observations show reported sightings; they do not define the plant’s complete native range.
Study the photographs and field notes for Common Teasel, then practice identifying this and other wildflowers in the quiz.
