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Dipsacus fullonum L. s.l., Wild Teasel

Account Summary

Introduction, a rare casual. European temperate.

1900; Abraham, J.T. & McCullagh, F.R.; on an old ditch amid briars, Lisgoole, Upper Lough Erne, on the southern outskirts of Enniskillen town.

Growth form and preferred habitats

A very striking, 'handsome' and unmistakable, tall and conspicuous wayside plant, D. fullonum is a strong-growing, erect, tap-rooted, monocarpic, short-lived perennial or biennial that grows to around 1.0-2.0 m in height (Grime et al. 1988, 2007). Hairless but decidedly prickly, it has branched, stout, hollow stems, armed with short, triangular prickles on prominent, angular, furrowed ribs. The stems bear large, sessile, opposite, lanceolate leaves that are united at their bases to form a cup-like receptacle that acts like a moat at nodes along the vertical stem since they quickly fill with rainwater. Basal leaves form a rosette, lying flat on the ground, while the margins of the lower stem leaves are serrate- or crenate-toothed, and upper leaf margins are entire. On the stem leaves there are sharp prickles only on the prominent midrib beneath (Clapham et al. 1987).

Being a biennial species, the rosette of basal leaves dies off early in the year of flowering (usually the second season of growth), as flowering begins (Perring & Walters 1989). However, probably the individual plant needs to accumulate sufficient photosynthetic energy reserves to trigger flowering and, in some less favoured environments, this make take the plant longer than two years to achieve.

Teasel occurs in rough grassland and disturbed ground, along river and stream banks and roadsides, in open areas of woods, hedgerows and on waste ground. It grows on a wide range of soil types, but is especially associated with heavy, near neutral, clay soils (Garrard & Streeter 1983; Perring & Walters 1989; G.T.D. Wilmore, in: Preston et al. 2002). The established strategy of D. fullonum is categorised as CR, meaning it is a Competitive Ruderal species (Grime et al. 1988, 2007).

Variation

Fuller's Teasel (D. sativus) is a cultivated form of Teasel previously known as D. fullonum subsp. sativus, which was known to Thomas Johnson, the reviser of Gerard's Herball (Gerard 1633), and it is still grown commercially in Somerset and France for the cloth trade (see below). It closely resembles D. fullonum but the involucral bracts spread ± horizontally so that none equals or overtops the head of the inflorescence. The receptacular bracts are about equal the length of the flowers and they each end in a rigidly recurved spine that is used to raise the nap of woollen cloth (Clapham et al. 1987).

Flowering reproduction

Flowering takes place July and August. The tiny, bisexual flowers, 2-3 mm in diameter, are borne in very dense oblong-ovoid, cylindrical or egg-shaped, prickly-all-over inflorescences, 5-8 cm, carried solitary on the ends of stems and branches. The base of the inflorescence is surrounded by a ring of ascending, green, prickly, involucral bracts of unequal length, the longest equalling or exceeding the head (Clapham et al. 1987). There is a single receptacular bract at the base of each flower and, in D. fullonum, they exceed the length of the flower and end in a long, flexible spine. In addition, each flower is supplied with a little secondary involucre or epicalyx, referred to as an 'involucel', which is adnate (fused) to the inferior ovary that sits within it (Hutchinson 1972).

The calyx is reduced to a small cup-shaped, fringed collar at the base of the 4-lobed, tubular corolla, and it sits on top of the unilocular ovary which contains just a single ovule. There are four exerted stamens (inflexed when in bud) and a style that is shortly divided into two unequal stigma lobes (Hutchinson 1972).

The mauve-purple or lilac flowers develop in an unusual pattern, the first to open forming a ring about one third the way down the length of the inflorescence. After this, flower opening spreads upward and downward simultaneously from this point (Grieve 1931).

The corolla tube is 9-11 mm long; nectar is secreted, attracting bees and long-tongued flies as pollinators (Melderis & Bangerter 1955; Garrard & Streeter 1983; Clapham et al. 1987).

The fruit is an achene (ie a single-seeded dry fruit), 5.0 × 2.5 mm, flattened on one side, ribbed and with a very small conical style and small calyx teeth fixed on top of it (Butcher 1961). The indehiscent fruit is enclosed by the involucel. The achenes are fed upon by birds, goldfinches in particular being mentioned by Ridley (1930). Although some seed will be destroyed, others are believed to be passed through the gut intact, and thus become dispersed. Ridley is the only reference the current author (RSF) has found that mentions Teasel seed (or achene) dispersal, and RSF feels it would be good to have the topic further examined.

Having said this, D. fullonum fruits prolifically and is widespread across B & I, well beyond the areas where it is known to be cultivated (see Uses section below), providing circumstantial evidence that it can spread. It is also reputed to colonise bare ground, especially after disturbance (G.T.D. Wilmore, in: Preston et al. 2002).

Species status

The 2nd edition of the Census Catalogue of the Irish flora regards D. fullonum as, "probably introduced" in 25 of the VCs where it has occurred in the past, and it indicates that it is definitely introduced in its most northerly station, E Donegal (H34) (Scannell & Synnott 1986).

There are no pollen or macrofossil records at all of Dipsacus species listed by Godwin (1975), which suggests to the current author that both D. fullonum and D. sativus could be possible introductions to both B & I since the latter has a definite long-recognised, probably ancient function in cloth-making.

Fermanagh occurrence

In Fermanagh, 'Wild Teasel' occurs only rarely and never appears far from houses. This tall, conspicuous biennial does not persist for very long without cultivation and, locally, it is reckoned to be a casual introduction derived from gardens, where it is still occasionally grown as a decorative border plant and as a subject suitable for cut flower arrangements.

In his species account of the Wild Teasel (as D. sylvestis) in the 2nd edition of the Flora of North-East Ireland, Praeger stated that he believed it, "appears native in the southern half of Ireland", but reading between the lines of this account, he was clearly unconvinced that this was the case in the north of the island (Praeger & Megaw 1938). In his descriptions of plant localities in his book The Botanist in Ireland, Praeger (1934i) almost always includes teasel (again as D. sylvestris) among lists of maritime species in various vice-counties, the only exception to this being the Enniskillen site.

Wild Teasel occurs in Fermanagh in rough grassland on roadsides or on waste ground and where dumping occurs (which is frequently by quieter roadsides in the county). It never appears in more 'natural' habitats, such as it does in Britain, where it is found in open woods and along stream and riverbanks (Gilmour & Walters 1973; Garrard & Streeter 1983).

It has been recorded in just eight Fermanagh tetrads, all but two (at Moybrone Td and beside Sligo Road, Enniskillen) lying to the E of Lough Erne as shown in the tetrad map. All but the first record are post-1975. The details of the other records are: verge at Sidaire crossroads, 2 km W of Ballinamallard, 1988 & 1990, RHN; waste ground near jetty, Gublusk Bay, Lower Lough Erne, July 1991 & 1995, RHN; still there October 2002, I. McNeill; 50 plants near stream on way to Yacht Club, 5 July 2010, RHN; Clifton Lodge, Lisnaskea, 8 May 1993, RHN; Bracky Td, SW of Lisbellaw, 26 September 1994, RHN & F. Carroll; roadside 2 km W of Clonelly, 6 July 1997, RHN; waste ground near graveyard, Old Rossorry, Enniskillen town, 25 April 2002, RHN; waste ground behind old gaol, Enniskillen town, 13 October 2002, RHN; several plants beside the Sligo Road, Enniskillen, 1 December 2009, RHN; and roadside Moybrone Td, 2 km S of Sillees Forest, 15 June 2003, RHN.

British and Irish occurrence

D. fullonum is widespread in Britain and at the hectad level of discrimination is omnipresent south of a line on the map between the Humber and the Severn. It is also very frequent in SW England and near the coast in Wales. Further north in England and Scotland, it is more scattered and scarce, although it has spread since the Perring & Walters 1962 BSBI Atlas survey, or has been more carefully recorded. It has now been found up the E coast of Scotland beyond Inverness in E. Ross (VC 106) and E Sutherland (VC 107) and has also appeared in Shetland (VC 112). It remains very rare in NW Scotland.

In Ireland it is much less frequent than in Britain and, although widely scattered, it is a little more frequent across NI, and rather coastal and associated with urban conurbations elsewhere in the RoI (New Atlas).

While there appears to have been a great increase in D. fullonum distribution since the 1962 Atlas, it is not possible to separate possible indigenous occurrences from garden escape or discard introductions and the New Atlas editors have mapped all occurrences as native for this reason.

European and world occurrence

D. fullonum belongs to the European temperate phytogeographical element and is distributed across S, W & C Europe stretching eastwards to C Russia and Turkey. It is also considered native in W Asia and N Africa (Clapham et al. 1987).

Uses

Herbal medicine practitioners have used the rain water collected by the perfoliate leaf-bases for such purposes as bathing sore eyes, or for removing warts (Vickery 1995). The root has also been used as a herbal cure for jaundice, strengthening the stomach and treating cankers and fistulas (Gerard 1633; Culpeper 1653).

The English common name 'Teasel' comes from the Old English 'taësan', meaning to pluck or pull, and hence the teasing of fibres, or raising the 'nap' of cloth after the process known as 'fulling' (Grigson 1974). 'Fulling', also known as 'tucking', 'walking', or better 'waulking' (derived from the Scots English 'waukin') is a step in the cleansing of woven cloth, especially woollen cloth, to remove lanoline oil, dirt and any other impurities from the cloth and to make it shrink. Urine was used in this process as it was a source of ammonium salts. The fulling also involves friction and pressure, and after fulling, the spiny teasel seed head is then used to raise the nap and produce the finished cloth. Ancient Greeks and Romans used these methods and the use of the teasel seed head for napping has never ever been superseded, since it remains the best tool for the job (Mabey 1977; Stearn 1992; Baumann 1993).

Names

The Greek genus scientific name 'Dipsacus' or 'Dipsakos' originates from Dioscorides and was originally applied by him to Dipsacus fullonum (Gilbert-Carter 1964). It is derived from the Greek 'dipsa', meaning 'thirst', for travellers could quench their thirst from the water collected by the leaf bases. Gilbert-Carter explains, "The word ['dipsakos'] also meant a kind of 'dropsy', and, as a plant name, probably referred to the accumulation of water in the connate leaf bases.". In the current author's (RSF) view, travellers would have needed to be close to death's door to drink from this source, since the water cupped by the leaf pairs is generally stagnant and heavily polluted with the corpses of flies and other invertebrates.

The Latin specific epithet 'fullonum' means 'pertaining to fullers', a process in cloth-making that involved D. sativus rather than D. fullonum (see 'Uses' above) (Stearn 1992).

Apart from 'Teasel', dealt with above in the 'Uses' section, Grigson (1955, 1987) lists a further 28 English common names for the species, most of them clearly connected with brushing, and thus with 'Fuller's Teasel' (D. sativus) which used to be a subspecies of D. fullonum.

Threats

None.

References

Praeger, R.L. and Megaw, W.R. (1938); Scannell, M.J.P. and Synnott,D.M. (1987); Praeger, R.L. (1934i); Garrard, I. and Streeter, D. (1983); Gilmour, J. and Walters, M. (1973); Baumann, H. (1993); Mabey, R. (1977); Vickery, R. (1995); Clapham et al. 1987; Culpeper 1653; Gerard 1633; Perring & Walters 1989; Perring & Walters 1962; Preston et al. 2002; Godwin (1975); Melderis & Bangerter 1955; Ridley (1930); Hutchinson 1972; Butcher 1961; Stearn 1992; Gilbert-Carter 1964; Grigson (1955, 1987); Grigson 1974; Grime et al. 1988, 2007); Grieve 1931.