Teasel

In 19th Century North Coast pioneer settlers cultivated the common teasel and sold it for pennies per thousand to East coast and European wool manufacturers who used the dried spiny flower heads to raise the nap of finished wool cloth. To this day, the word tease means to and raise the fibers of; or to straighten out or unsnarl. Fuller’s teasel (D. fullonum) is a biennial with origins in the Balkans and Mediterranean, but it has spread to not only America, but as far as India and South Africa. The teasel is also a popular plant for nectar loving birds and insects, especially honey bees. The teasel today, is sometimes considered a noxious weed, but it is often used for flower arrangements especially in it's dried form. Creative life sciences and nature educators use teasel as a demonstration tool because the shallow cup of liquid captured in the leaf clusters along its stem contains a microcosm of biota for young students to discover and explore.

Need a teasel teacher? Click here.

Comments

[Jenny]

Great photos. What species of bird is this?

[Satyamo]

I just would like to know where i can get the teasel herb,if you know or at least how to use it as a tea or same other way to strenght the bone?
Thank you very much merry christmas
Satyamo