Small Teasel - Dipsacus pilosus

Medium to tall plant reaching 1.5 metres. Stems erect, sparsely prickly. Basal leaves form a rosette in the first year and are oval narrowing to a long stalk, hairy and toothed. Stem leaves are oval, short stalked with a basal pair of leaflets, often unequal. Flowerheads globose, 1.5 to 2 cm, the flowers whitish and with long, narrowly triangular bracts.

Prickly stems, small round flower heads, upper stem-leaves with stalks

A photo of the whole plant in habitat, showing flowers and upper leaves

Damp, shady habitats.

Flowers August and September.

Biennial.

Found mainly in England and eastern Wales, though not particularly common.

Infrequent and local in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 8 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current checklist (Jeeves 2011) it is listed as Native; woodlands and shady streamsides; now scarce and most sites that remain are in Leighfield Forest. 

It is on the VC55 Rare Plant Register