[Wikipedia] Europe & Asia Native, Invasiveness: Dipsacus laciniatus is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name cutleaf teasel. It is native to Europe and Asia. It is present in North America as an introduced species and invasive weed. Cutleaf teasel is a weed in the United States, where it is most prevalent in the Midwest and northeastern states. It has been known in New York and Michigan since before 1900. It is now a dominant species in some areas, such as a tallgrass prairie in Illinois. It grows in a variety of habitat types, and does best on good soil; individuals growing on fertile soil reach large, robust sizes. Due to a lack of biological control agents in areas such as the Midwest that it is not native to, it can form large monocultures, displacing native species. The plants can also tolerate saline soils. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)