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Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)

SWCD Branded Separator

Also known as: teasel, venuscup teasel, wild teasel

Common teasel is a prickly weed that appears to have tentacles surrounding its flowerheads. It grows as a rosette during its first year, then produces a flowering stem the following spring before dying. It grows a large taproot that can be almost 2 feet (0.6 meters) long!

Description:

Life Cycle:Biennial (life cycle lasts two years)
Early Detection and Rapid Response species:No
Height:Up to 7 feet (2 meters) tall
Leaf Description:Leaves are lance-shaped with wavy edges. They typically die off early in the plant’s second year.
Fruit & Flower Description:Prickly, dark pink to pale purple flowers grow at the end of leafless stems during the second year. They have distinctive spiny bractsBracts Leaf-like structures below a plant’s flower. under the flowerhead that curve upward and extend above the flowerhead.
Bloom Time:April to September

Habitat:

  • Common teasel grows along roads, abandoned fields, ponds and waterways. It also grows into agricultural areas, including pastures and fallowFallow Farmland that is not currently in production. fields.
  • It prefers open areas with sunny conditions and can survive in a range of soils from wet to dry.

Impact:

  • Common teasel forms dense stands where it outcompetes native grasses and crops.
  • Large populations are difficult to control because each plant grows a deep taproot and can produce over 30,000 seeds.

What you can do about it:

  • Mowing is not recommended. Mowing alone does not control the plant and may spread seeds around the site or to new areas.
  • Manually removal of first year plants is possible. Make sure to remove as much of the taproot as possible to prevent resprouting.
  • Cut flowering stalks to prevent it from producing seeds. It’s important to prune the stalks after flowering has started, or flowering stalks will regrow.
  • All plant material should be disposed of in a tied plastic bag in the trash— not left on site or in your home compost.
  • After removing common teasel, make sure to seed and plant the area with competitive native grasses, forbs, and other desirable plants to reduce the chance of regrowth.

Look-alikes:

Cutleaf teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus) and fuller’s teasel (Dipsacus sativus) are similar to common teasel. Both of these look-alikes have white flowers and their spiny bracts underneath the flowerheads.

Noxious Weed Listing:

State of Oregon:Not Listed
State of Washington:Class C

More Resources:

Form more information, download the Common Teasel Best Management Practices factsheet

Download Factsheet
  • Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook: Common teasel
  • University of California, Weed Research & Information Center: Common teasel