Alma's tall teasel is a record breaker

A Hucknall born woman is thrilled to have made it into the Guinness Book of Records for growing the tallest teasel in the world.
Alma Turner has grown the world's largest thistle.Alma Turner has grown the world's largest thistle.
Alma Turner has grown the world's largest thistle.

Alma Joan Turner, who now lives in Oxcliff, Scarborough, said she was “over the moon” with the accolade and was delighted to receive her certiicate.

The story of Alma’s giant 9ft teasel was first featured in The Scarborough News in July 2015 - and since then the towering example has attracted attention from far and wide.

Alma has been contacted by national newspapers and has also been interviewed on the radio.

She said: “It’s been great - I’m thrilled about it. We contacted the Guinness Book of Records and someone came to verify it.

“It meant they had to add a whole new category as nobody had entered one of these types of plant before.”

Alma added that it took six months for her certiicate to come through, which is now proudly on display at home.

The teasel has now gone into winter mode, according to Alma, but when it is in full bloom in spring and summer the colour changes from green to purple.

Alma said: “It’s a super plant. I didn’t know what it was at first and how it got there.

“I thought it might have been a sunflower.

“I think birds must have fetched it and dropped the seeds.”

The giant teasel has a prickly stem, but Alma said the flowers are beautiful and do not have any prickly bits inside.

In fact she is so taken with the plant that she has cut of stems to display in her home and has also taken cuttings totry and growsome new plants in the garden.

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