It's good you are skeptical about uncited internet sources. The 30 to
80% germination rate may even be for cultivated seed because seed
packets list a germination percentage. The following webpage says 3000+
seed per plant and 6+ years viability.
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasc...9/bio99464.htm


Try to get copies of Werner's papers and then check the Science
Citation Index for more recent work that cites Werner's work.

Werner, P. A. 1975. The biology of Canadian weeds. Dipsacus sylvestris
Huds. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 55: 783-794.

Werner, P. 1975. The effects of plant litter on germination in teasel,
Dipsacus sylvestris Huds. American Midland Naturalist 94: 470-476.

Werner, P. A. 1975. Predictions of fate from rosette size in teasel
(Dipsacus fullonum L.). Oecologia 20: 197-201.
The Oecologia paper is a citation classic:
http://garfield.library.upenn.edu/cl...AJ98800001.pdf

Werner, P. A., and H. Caswell. 1977. Population growth rates and age
versus stage-distribution models for teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris) Huds.
Ecology 58: 1103-1111.


You might even try to contact Werner:
http://www.wec.ufl.edu/faculty/wernerp/

The dispersal method may be different in America than in teasel's
native habitat.

David R. Hershey