There is longstanding confusion between D. sativus, the teasel used to raise the nap on wool, and Dipsacus fullonum, which is misleadingly named the “teasel of the fullers,” or cloth makers. Seed labeled as D. sativus sometimes proves to be D. fullonum when grown in the garden. We sowed fresh seed in the arts and crafts bed in 2008 after discovering that we did not have the right plant, but were disappointed again when it flowered this year. Teasel is biennial, producing a rosette of leaves in its first year, and sending up long spiny flowering stems the year after. Once a biennial plant has flowered and set seed, it dies. Photograph by Nathan Heavers.