Flower profile

Wild teasel

Dipsacus fullonum

Introduced in the lower 48

Wild teasel is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 9 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in July–September.

41states

9of our state lists

30,847U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, West Virginia

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Ohio, Washington, Indiana and Kentucky. It's on those states' official invasive plant lists (Ohio: Invasive plant (sale and propagation prohibited); Washington: Class C noxious weed; Indiana: Prohibited invasive plant (no sale, gifting or planting); Kentucky: Noxious weed (controlled on state highways under KRS 176.051)). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{OAC 901:5-30-01 WAC 16-750 312 IAC 18-3-25 KRS 176.051}

Quick look

Dipsacus fullonum, syn. Dipsacus sylvestris, is a species of flowering plant known by the common names wild teasel or fuller's teasel, although the latter name is usually applied to the cultivated variety D. fullonum var. sativus. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it is known in the Americas, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand as an introduced species.
From Wikipedia's article Dipsacus fullonum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a biennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 41 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Ohio, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–October. ^iNaturalist
In Pennsylvania, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,403 research-grade sightings of it in Ohio, ranking #34 among the 109 flowers on our Ohio list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,303 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #58 among the 111 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,741 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #81 among the 109 flowers on our New York list. ^iNaturalist

State flower gift ideas

This one is a regulated invasive plant, so here are state flower gifts instead.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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State flower print
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Birth-flower necklace
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Wildflower seed favors
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Botanical tea towel
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Pressed-flower frame
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Flower-garden mug
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,066 records)

Bloom time in each of our 9 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Ohio	Introduced	July–October	4,403
Pennsylvania	Introduced	July–August	3,303
New York	Introduced	July–September	2,741
Washington	Introduced	July–September	2,294
Utah	Introduced	July–October	1,142
Indiana	Introduced	July–August	1,066
Kentucky	Introduced	June–August	648
West Virginia	Introduced	few records	539
Idaho	Introduced	few records	538

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Ohio: Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Ohio. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Pennsylvania. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New York. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Washington.
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Utah.
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Indiana.
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in West Virginia.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Idaho.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records wild teasel in 41 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Ohio counties with USDA records: Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Geauga, Guernsey, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Meigs, Mercer, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, Wood, Wyandot.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, York.

New York counties with USDA records: Bronx, Chautauqua, Delaware, Erie, Jefferson, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Nassau, New York, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Oswego, Queens, Richmond, Schuyler, Tompkins, Ulster, Westchester.

More Ohio flowers

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Japanese honeysuckle

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Twinberry honeysuckle

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Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DIFU2.
iNaturalist, Dipsacus fullonum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Dipsacus fullonum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ohio: Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024).
Ohio: Ohio invasive plant species (Ohio Adm. Code 901:5-30-01).
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
New York: New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3).
New York: New York prohibited and regulated invasive species (6 NYCRR Part 575).
Washington: Washington State noxious weed list (WAC 16-750-005, -011, -015).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Indiana: Indiana prohibited invasive terrestrial plants (312 IAC 18-3-25).
Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Dipsacus fullonum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.