Friends of Coyote-Bear County Park

Invasive Plants - Teasel

Fuller’s teasel was introduced from Europe in he 1700’s and used as a carding tool to
comb the fibers of wool, cotton and flax before spinning. The plant is usually called a
biennial because it grows from a basal rosette for at least one year, then sends up a tall
flowering stalk and dies after flowering. During the rosette stage, teasel develops a
large taproot.
Teasel blooms from June through October with prickly leaves and stems. The white or
purple flowers are small and packed into dense egg-shaped heads at the top of the
stems, sometimes as tall as six feet.
Teasel is an aggressive exotic with no natural enemies. If left unchecked, it can form
large monocultures excluding all native vegetation.

Teasel prefers wet ares, so it's most likely around Bear/Coyote's many springs and seeps.
HOW and WHEN TO GET RID OF TEASEL
Young plants can easily be uprooted by a blow at the base of the stem with the claw of
a hammer.  Cut off the flowering heads before they bloom. The cut flower heads must be removed from the site as they can still
produce seeds.  Stems can sprout again, so the site must be revisited often