Mystery water plant -- teasel

[cindi2]

Well, you are going to be astounded when you see the picture of this beauty of a plant and the little story that goes around with it.  Many of you may recognize it, even know it, like the Lion's Ear.

Last year in my search for bee plants, I purchased many perennial (and annual) seeds from Salt Spring Island Seed Company, the name indicates where the company originates.  Very wonderful seed company.  I want to take a trip to this island one day, I think it would be like stepping back in time 20 years.  A dream of mine, to go back to when times were much more simple, like when I was a young woman.  I have created on my property and very reclusive place, I can almost, just almost, go back to these places in time because I am so isolated from the view of neighbours.  Yep, almost there, but at home.  Oh,yikes, I can go on.

Anyways, I sowed several species of seed and forgot to make a note of what they were.  Last year this kind of spiny low growing plant, rosette type leaves came up.  It came up right near the edge of one of my borage garden areas.  It at first kind of resembled the borage plant when it is young, but then it became what I can only refer to as an "angry" plant.  The leaves were nasty, and I mean nasty.  So thorny on the bottom, and such strong thorns to boot.  Hurt me a couple of times when I was weeding around it.  The plant, being either a biennial or a perennial, did nothing last year.  But this year.  Look out, we have a monster brewing back there.

I was out weeding around the apiary the other night and looked over at this plant.  It has grown leaps and bounds in the past two weeks.  And it looked kind of neat, so I walked over to examine it further, trying to figure out yet if I could identify it.  Nope, still had no clue what it was.

The plant was very interesting, I noticed that where the two leaves left the stock on each side that the base of the leaves were all attached and these leaves formed a watertight cup that was full of water.  I ran the garden hose into these water cups (I was doing some watering of new seedlings as well) and the water did not drain out.  In the water I saw all kinds of little dead floating mosquitoes, small flies and the like.  I also saw some algae floating around, so I know the water had been present in the leaf cups for quite some time. Simply amazing.

I took photos of it and sent them into the UBC Garden forum that I belong to, requesting an identification.  Several answers came back, both saying that they are Teasel -- Dipsacus follanum.  I checked my seed order for Saltspring, and yes, I had ordered the Teasel, but the cultivar that I had on the order form was sativus not follanum, probably  both very similar plants.  I think it may have even been actually called "Fuller's Teasel", but that I am not sure of as I no longer can find the catalogue, much to my dismay.  Well, enjoy these pictures.  Have a wonderful day, beautiful life, full of good health and love this life we're livin'.  Cindi

[buzzbee]

Hmmm,
Very interesting looking plant Cindi!

[reinbeau]

Yep, my mom has them in her garden, too!  I think they used the seed pod (wait till you see that!  :shock:) to card wool with.  No, according to Wikipedia, they used it to raise the nap on cloth.

describing all the teasels and their herbal uses.

[cindi2]

Ann, beauty, now this is a weird thing.  When I went into "show unread posts since last visit", this came up, I missed it somehow, so many days ago (over 120 days ago)as the notice said.

I captured the seed pods of the Motherwort and have a beautiful arrangement in my frontroom, I have millions of seeds that could fly off at any time I guess  :) ;)

I have a bag of the seed pods too, I know they will burst when I shake the paper bag.  But the flower seed pod arrangement is beautiful.  I will get a picture later and make a post on it.

I love the Fuller's Teasel, it was the most beautiful plant that I think that I have ever seen.  My husband took a really cool picture of me weeding inbetween a couple of plants last summer, and they look like monsters compared to me, I look like a tiny little human amongst them.  Well, it was interesting to look at the picture of the water bowls of these beauties.

I remember you telling me to gather the water to use as a facial wash, I did, but it sat in the fridge for awhile, never got around to washing my face with it, I think you said that my husband would like the look of my face or something like that after I was done  :-D ;) :)  I am going to look into these sites that you cited, (English spelling eh?).  I have googled the Teasel before and was intrigued by what I was reading.  Oh well, there's another day.  Have a wonderful and greatest of days, beautiful life.  Cindi

[cindi2]

Aha, I see why I missed this post, I inadvertently used my Cindi2 account, oh brother, now I must go into that account and check out other posts that I may have missed, the last time I used it was in June I think, so now I have some internet work ahead of me.  Eeeks, oh brother  :) ;) ;) :)  Have this great and wonderful day always.  Cindi