Teasel

Today's the day ....................... to name that plant

These unmistakable spikey flower heads belong to the teasel plant.  

The dried heads were once used in the textile industry to raise the nap on woollen cloth - and its name 'teasel' derives from an Old English word that described that process and relates to our verb 'to tease'.

Its posh latin name is Dipsacus - which has a completely different meaning and comes from the Greek word for thirst (dipsa).  It refers to the cup-like formation made where the leaves merge with the stem.  Rain water can collect in these little cups and it was thought that this could be a way of preventing sap-sucking insects such aphids from climbing the stem.  There was also another theory put forward by Francis Darwin (son of the more famous Charles) that the teasel was actually a carniverous plant.  Insects that were caught in the water would be ingested into the plant and add to its nutrition - but this theory was never proved to the scientific world's satisfaction.

If you have it in your garden, it's a splendid example of a plant-for-free.  The bees love it when it's first in flower - and the seeds are an important winter food source for birds, particularly goldfinches .......................