Dipsacus fullonum

Seos mac Carthaigh (Seosamh.macCarthaigh@UCG.IE)
Thu, 11 May 1995 10:40:44 +0000 (GMT)

This plant popped on the CP in a posting from Clarke last November. Teasel is
not regarded as a CP but has a few physical attributes that have caused it a
few second glances from passing CPies.

It is nolonger a common plant here in Ireland, and I grow it (or rather
it grows) in my garden because I like its flower and shape and because
it used to be common here. In one border this year there is quite a
clump of it growing beside a clump of hosta. Usually the hostas are
slaughtered by slugs and snails but this spring they have been left
pretty well alone. The teasels have started growing upward and have
trapped water between the leaves and the main stem as usual - even
though it has been quite dry. The interesting thing is that many of the
pools contain drowned mollusca - one pool has two slugs and a 1.5cm
snail. Perhaps the recent dry spell here tempted them to come too
close.

Interesting, and if they have helped my hostas all to the good.

regards

Seosamh