Nature's Velcro

Lorraine Julien | Aug 14, 2013

By Lorraine Julien

Who hasn’t walked through a field of grasses and weeds only to discover, after your walk, that you or your dog have picked up bunches of thistle burrs entangled in the dog’s fur or gathered on your socks? You know how difficult it is to pull these things off or, at the very least, you end up with some bits embedded in your skin that only a magnifying glass and some tweezers can help to pull out.

These prickly things are probably the Common Burdock or the Canada Thistle, both of which flourish all over the countryside and even in cities.

The grand-daddy of prickly things though is the Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum). There are about 15 species of this tall biennial plant. They grow in many fields and ditches, bloom from July to October and can grow up to six feet high. Teasels are easily identified by their prickly stems and leaves and the purplish egg-shaped flowers that form a head at the top of the stem. Spiny stems branch out around the flower head. These weeds are definitely unique and do not look like any other weeds or wild flowers. I don’t find Teasels as much of a nuisance though as the thistles and burdocks, which have burrs all over the plants and are very widespread compared to the Teasel.

The genus name, Dipsacus, is derived from the word for thirst and refers to the cup-like formation made where the sessile leaves merge at the stem. Rain water can collect in this receptacle – this may prevent sap-sucking insects such as aphids from climbing the stem. Recent experiments show that adding dead insects to these cups increases the number of seeds produced (implying partial carnivory!) The seeds are also an important winter food resource for some birds, especially the Goldfinch.

Teasels may grow for one or more years as low-growing rosettes, then produce tall flowering stems topped by flower heads. They thrive in open sunny habitats and can tolerate dry or wet conditions. Teasels produce a deep tap root up to 2 feet long and an inch wide at the crown but they are relatively short-lived and generally die back each year once frost arrives. In late summer, the flower heads go to seed and reproduction is entirely by seed. A single flower head can produce hundreds of seeds and, since a plant could have between 1 and 40 flower heads, tens of thousands of seeds could potentially be produced per plant. Given the right conditions, you can see that large dense stands could be created. Fortunately, they are not hard to control while still in small numbers. You can dig the plants up much as you would dandelions, or the plants can be cut at, or just below, ground level once the flowers start to appear. Do not leave immature flower heads on the ground as they may sprout next year. Instead, dispose of them properly.

Common Teasel is not considered toxic but the plant has been used for medicinal purposes in the past, so caution is advised in using this plant or exposing livestock to it in large quantities.

Teasels though have quite a history! It turns out the strange looking flower heads have been put to good use in the past. Well into the 21st century, Teasels were cultivated in Europe where the spiny flowerheads were used to decorate ladies’ hats and in floral arrangements. Recently, one of our local lodges sold hand-made giant mosquitoes made from Teasels. It’s amazing what you can do with some imagination and skill! Personally, I find there are enough of the real ones around this year – there doesn’t seem to be an end to the mosquitoes.

One of the main purposes of dried Teasel flowerheads was to mount them on rods – then they were used by manufacturers of woollen goods to tease or raise the nap of cloth. This ancient method was preferred over the use of metal devices because, when meeting a firm obstruction, the spines would break instead of tearing the material. Teasels, like many weeds, probably came to North America by accident in the 1700’s, their seeds mixed in with imported hay. It was many decades, however, before enough land had been cleared in the New World to allow the colonies the luxury of pastures and hayfields.

Although these plants provide food for birds and have had different uses for many years, the most interesting use evolved in the early 1950s. The inventor of Velcro, George Mestral, was working in the machine shop of a Swiss engineering company many years ago. He examined the burrs that stuck to his dog’s fur under a microscope and saw that they consisted of hundreds of tiny hooks that latched onto the dog’s soft fur.

He discussed the principle with weaving experts in the French cloth industry and eventually a weaver produced cotton tapes that, when pressed together, fastened in the same manner as the Teasel and fur. This idea was patented by a Swiss company, Velcro S.A. in 1952. Today Velcro brand products are manufactured in Canada, the United States, and in many countries all over the world.

What would we do without Velcro nowadays? There are hundreds of uses for it. Usual uses are to fasten shoes, clothing, draperies, etc. We have a skylight at our cottage which faces south and has a blind. We’ve found that Velcro does a great job of fastening the blind when we want to cover the glass to keep the sun out.

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.