Dipsacaceae, or the teasel family contains 350 species of herbs and shrubs in Europe, Africa and Asia. Some of these have already reached other continents.
The Fuller’s Teasel (Wilde Karde), Dipsacus fullonum, is common here, as in the UK, and is an attractive plant – but do not let it go to seed near your garden!
The Scabious (Skabiosa) is also in the teasel family, as well as the similar Knautia. They can be pretty invasive too.
But I also have another member of this family in my garden – the relatively unknown (here, at least!) Succisella inflexa (Moorabbiss), almost the same as Succisa inflexa.
It starts flowering in July and hangs around till the first frosts. Like Scabious, the bees and butterflies love it…
(Summer Map Butterfly -Landkärtchen – Araschnia levana)
The buds are slightly pink, the flowers icy white, with just a tinge of violet to them.
The common name for the Succisa plants is Devil’s Bit, since the tubers appear to have a bite in them! They are supposedly happiest on damp ground or wet meadows… well, I have three beautiful, healthy plants thriving on dry, well-drained soil in the full sun! However, I should point out that mine is a cultivated specimen: Succisella inflexa “Frosted Pearls”, which differs from the wild ones in that it is a little shorter (about 2ft high), and has longer leaves.
My reasons for loving this plant are:
It is very pretty.
It attracts bees and butterflies.
It is not invasive.
It overwinters with no problem whatsoever.
It tolerates heat and drought.
It likes poor soil.
It needs no attention and is not tempting to snails and slugs.
😀
Have you ever seen this plant before? I’d love to hear if you have!
Words and Herbs 
What a great collection of pictures
Thank you Danny!
I too like your photos, but never heard of Succisella inflexa. It is pretty. I do have Scabious in my garden any you are so right on it attracting pollinators.
Perhaps it is one of those plants that everyone will have in a few years when it “catches on”! (Like heuchera for example!)
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LOVE LOVE LOVE OFCOURSE
also I nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award come to my post to accept and grab the LOOSE RULES lol
Eunice
THANKS Eunice! And congrats to you too!
Thanks and you are very welcome
Loving your photos and posts – consider yourself nominated! http://melodylowes.com/2012/08/17/its-raining-its-pouring-aka-the-awards-are-out-in-force/
Wow, two awards on one day! Thank you very much, and congratulations to you too Melody!
Thank you! These things seem to appear in ‘herds’… 🙂
Ich glaube, ich habe sie schon mal gesehen, werde aber genauer darauf achten. Have a nice weekend! Uta
Thanks Uta – you too! 😀
I believe I didn´t yet see “Succisella inflexa”. It is really very pretty and reminiscent of the
“Scabious”. Next spring I´ll plant a cream-white scabious, looking forward to watching many
beautiful butterflies. Lovely photo of the “Landkärtchen”! Did you ever see the Winter Map
Butterfly with the ground-colour orange?
Have a nice weekend in your garden, Cathy!
I can let you have some baby cream scabious… will put some aside for you with the poppies. But be warned…the scabious seeds itself like mad! No, I have never seen the winter Map. You enjoy your weekend too Elisabeth! 😀
Cathy, I`m glad you will let me have some baby cream scabious. Thanks beforehand!
I have a wild cousin to your teasles; the common name is “tear-thumb”. Which is exactly what the microscopic serrations on the stems will do if you try and pull it up…
Yes, it is VERY prickly! I put on two pairs of gardening gloves to cut some! It’s hanging up to dry and will be used for decoration in the autumn.
A world away and I do the same! European settlers brought Fuller’s Teasel to this country and it has run rampant in fields and roadsides!
I’d love to let mine go to seed (there were three in my garden this year) as the birds love them… but they are so hard to get out the ground once set!
Teasel, that is name I have been trying to think of. Thank you! What a lot of nice plants you posted this time. We don’t have that butterfly, the name is just delightful. Your garden is lovely.
Thank you Sandy! The teasel is just as prickly as the thistle, and just as pretty, and the seeds… 😉
Teasels are very pretty but I’m still traumatised by the thistles in my paddock do I’ll give them a miss. I tried to photograph butterflies again today but failed so this makes your picture even sweeter! Scabious are one of my favourite flowers so anything that resembles them is a winner x
Hi there. This was one of the quietest butterflies so far… sitting still for me to photograph it!
Your photos keep getting better. The Summer Map butterfly has a ragged wing but I guess it doesn’t hinder him.
Thank you Mountainmae! Yes, he seemed calm but perfectly happy.
Love these flowers and your photos are so compelling. Great post.
Thanks! I think I need some more of them they’re so pretty!
Well Cathy you know I have had my battle with teasel as it is highly invasive and the knautia seeds itself all over, but I love this one..very pretty.
I was thinking of you when taking the photo of the teasel! LOL! This one is safe – and easy to care for! 😀 (And not even prickly!)
I think I’ve seen scabiosa offered for butterfly planting collections. I have so little space it’s not a plant I’d be able to give space to though… although this year we’ve had very wet weather and if a bird drops a seed here it would probably take off like Charlie! I don’t think I need the teasle… have enough prickly stuff here to pull out.
This one needs very little space, so it’s an alternative to the scabious.
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