Tag Archives: Dipsacus laciniatus

Wildflowers in Winter: Plants Having Elongated Seedheads

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Here are some of the Michigan winter wildflowers with elongated seedheads.

Onoclea sensibilis

Sensitive Fern

Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) does not have seedpods but sporophylls. They form a beadlike structure in parallel rows that persist throughout the winter. The spores are released in springtime. It occurs throughout the state.

Chelone glabra

White Turtlehead

White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) seedpods do resemble a turtle’s head. Opposite leaves, a dense spike with the seedpods in rows distinguish this species. It is 1-2 feet (.3-.6m) tall. It occurs throughout the state.

Anemone

Thimbleweed

Thimbleweed has cottony seed heads at the end of the stems. There are two species in Michigan, one (Anemone cylindrica) with narrow seedheads and a second species (A. virginiana)with broader seedheads. It is often not possible to separate the two species in the winter. Both species occur throughout the state. A. virginiana is the species in the photographs.

Verbena hastata

Blue Vervain

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) has narrow terminal spikes, squarish stems, and opposite leaves. It is 2-4 (.6-1.2m) feet tall. It occurs throughout the state.

Agastache nepetoides

Yellow Giant Hyssop

Yellow Giant Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides) has broader terminal clusters than Blue Vervain. It has squarish stems and opposite leaves. It occurs in Michigan south of the Bay City to Muskegon line. It is now appearing in plantings of native plants.

Dipsacus

Teasel

Teasel has a spiny stem and a head surrounded by curved brackets. It is 3-10 feet (1-3m) tall. There are two species in Michigan: Wild Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), and Cut-leaf Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus). See my August 2014 blog for more info. They often cannot be distinguished in the winter. Both species occur throughout the state but are more common south of the Bay City to Muskegon line.

Copyright 2015 by Donald Drife

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Michigan’s Naturalized Teasels

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Dipsacus laciniatus

Cut-leaf Teasel

Dipsacus fullonum-habit-white flower-lavender

Wild Teasel habit, white flower, lavender flower

Dipsacus-laciniatus-habit-flower-seedhead

Cut-leaf Teasel habit, flower, seedhead

Michigan has two naturalized species of Teasel: Wild Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), and Cut-leaf Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus). Both were originally from Europe but now are found commonly in southern Michigan but rarely in the north. Being tall plants, often 2m [7 feet] high, they are easy to spot along highways. Dried “winter bouquets” sometimes use the attractive heads either naturally or spray-painted. They bloom starting in the center of the head and moving outward toward the top and bottom. Both species are biennials, developing a basal rosette of leaves the first year and flowering in the second.

Dipsacus fullonum leaves

Wild Teasel leaves

Wild Teasel has stem leaves that have entire (smooth) margins but sometimes they have prickly margins or even coarse teeth. The flowers are normally lilac colored but can be white or cream-colored. This species was first collected in Michigan in 1844.

Dipsacus laciniatus leaves

Cut-leaf Teasel leaves

Cut-leaf Teasel is not listed in many wildflower books. Its stem leaves are pinnatifed (with deep lobes) or bipinnatfid (with the lobes, lobed again). Their leaf bases join and sometimes will hold water. The genus name Dipsacus is said to be derived from the Greek word dipsa meaning to thirst, based on this characteristic. This species is taller on average than the Wild Teasel and often forms large colonies. Normally the flowers are a dirty white. The earliest records are from 1894.

Basal rosettes of Dipsacus fullonum-l and D. laciniatus-r

Basal rosettes of Wild Teasel-l and Cut-leaf Teasel-r

Both species are in flower now and easy to find in southern Michigan. Take a close look at teasel and learn to separate the two species. These are impressive plants.

Note: The nomenclature of Teasel is confusing. Dipsacus fullonum was called D. sylvestris and is so-named in older wildflower books. D. fullonum was applied to a European species,now called D. sativus, that has not yet been found in Michigan.
Copyright 2014 by Donald Drife

Webpage Michigan Nature Guy
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