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Cirsium
 
 
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Cirsium is a genus of perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 flowering plants in the Asteraceae
Asteraceae

The family Asteraceae or Compositae is the largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species.The name 'Asteraceae' is derived from the type genus Aster , while 'Compositae', an older but still valid name, means composite and refers to the characteristic inflorescence, a special type of pseudanthium found in o...
, one of several genera known popularly as thistle
Thistle

Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaf with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the plant family Asteraceae....
s.






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Cirsium Canum0
Honeybee Thistle
Cirsium is a genus of perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 flowering plants in the Asteraceae
Asteraceae

The family Asteraceae or Compositae is the largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species.The name 'Asteraceae' is derived from the type genus Aster , while 'Compositae', an older but still valid name, means composite and refers to the characteristic inflorescence, a special type of pseudanthium found in o...
, one of several genera known popularly as thistle
Thistle

Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaf with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the plant family Asteraceae....
s. They are mostly native to Eurasia and northern Africa, with about 60 species from North America (although several species have been introduced outside their native ranges).

Thistles are known for their effusive flower heads, usually purple or rose to pink, also yellow or white. The radially symmetrical disk flowers are at the end of the branches. They have erect stems and prickly leaves, with a characteristic enlarged base of the flower which is commonly spiny. The leaves are alternate, and some species can be slightly hairy. Extensions from the leaf base down the stem, called wings, can be lacking (Cirsium arvense), conspicuous (Cirsium vulgare), or inconspicuous. They can spread by seed
Seed

A seed is a small Plant embryogenesis plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some Food storage. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant....
, and also by rhizome
Rhizome

In botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal plant stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes....
s below the surface (Cirsium arvense). The seed has tufts of tiny hair, or pappus
Pappus (flower structure)

In a Asteraceae flower, Pappus is the part of individual disk and ray flowers that surrounds the base, in the same manner as the sepal does in a non-compound flower....
, which can carry them far by wind.

Cirsium thistles are used as food plants by the larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
 species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Cirsium. The seeds are attractive to small finches such as American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch , also known as the Eastern Goldfinch and Wild Canary, is a North American bird in the finch family . It is bird migration, ranging from southern Canada to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canadian border to Mexico during the winter....
.

Most species are considered weed
WEED

WEED is a radio station broadcasting a Gospel format. Licensed to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA, it serves the area. The station is currently owned by Northstar Broadcasting Corporation....
s. Cirsium vulgare
Cirsium vulgare

Cirsium vulgare is a species of the genus Cirsium, native throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but also present in North America as an invasive species weed....
 (Bull Thistle, Common Thistle, or Spear Thistle) is listed as a noxious weed in nine US states. Some species are cultivated in gardens for their aesthetic value and to attract butterflies. Some other common species are: Cirsium lanceolatum, Cirsium palustre
Cirsium palustre

Cirsium palustre is a herbaceous biennial plant species of the genus Cirsium. It is a tall thistle that reaches up to 2 metres in height....
, Cirsium oleraceum
Cirsium oleraceum

Cirsium oleraceum is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium, native to central and eastern Europe and Asia, where it grows in wet lowland soils....
.

The word 'Cirsium' derives from the Greek word kirsos meaning 'swollen vein'. Thistles were used as a remedy against swollen veins. The flower blooms April to August.

Species

  • Cirsium acarna - Soldier Thistle
  • Cirsium acaule - Stemless Thistle, Dwarf Thistle
  • Cirsium altissimum - Roadside Thistle, Tall Thistle
  • Cirsium amblylepis - Mt. Tamalpais Thistle
  • Cirsium andersonii - Anderson's Thistle, Rose Thistle
  • Cirsium andrewsii - Franciscan Thistle
  • Cirsium araneans - Jeweled Thistle
  • Cirsium arcuum - Powderpuff Thistle
  • Cirsium aridum - Desert Thistle
  • Cirsium arizonicum
    Cirsium arizonicum

    Cirsium arizonicum is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium, native to the southwestern United States, including Arizona, southeastern California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah....
     - Arizona Thistle
  • Cirsium arvense
    Cirsium arvense

    Cirsium arvense is a species of Cirsium, native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced species elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is Creeping Thistle....
     - Creeping Thistle, Field Thistle, Canada Thistle
    • Cirsium arvense var.argenteum
    • Cirsium arvense var. integrifolium
    • Cirsium arvense var. mite
    • Cirsium arvense var. vestitum
  • Cirsium barnebyi - Barneby's Thistle
  • Cirsium brachycephalum
  • Cirsium brevifolium - Palouse Thistle
  • Cirsium brevistylum - Clustered Thistle
  • Cirsium calcareum - Cainville Thistle
  • Cirsium californicum - California Thistle
  • Cirsium callilepis - Fringebract Thistle
  • Cirsium campylon - Mount Hamilton Thistle
  • Cirsium canescens - Platte Thistle, Prairie Thistle
  • Cirsium canovirens - Graygreen Thistle
  • Cirsium canum - Queen Anne's Thistle
  • Cirsium carolinianum - Carolina Thistle, Soft Thistle
  • Cirsium caulescens
  • Cirsium centaureae
  • Cirsium chellyense - Queen Thistle
  • Cirsium chuskaense - Monarch Thistle
  • Cirsium ciliolatum - Ashland Thistle
  • Cirsium clavatum - Lake Thistle
  • Cirsium clokeyi - Charleston Mountain Thistle, Whitespine Thistle
  • Cirsium congdonii - Rosette Thistle
  • Cirsium costaricense
  • Cirsium coulteri - Coulter’s Thistle
  • Cirsium crassicaule - Slough Thistle
  • Cirsium cymosum - Peregrine Thistle
  • Cirsium diacanthum
  • Cirsium discolor
    Cirsium discolor

    Cirsium discolor is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium.External links*...
     - Field Thistle, Pasture Thistle
  • Cirsium douglasii
  • Cirsium drummondii - Dwarf Thistle
  • Cirsium durangense
  • Cirsium eatonii - Eaton's Thistle
  • Cirsium edule
    Cirsium edule

    Cirsium edule, the Edible Thistle, is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium, native to western North America from southeastern Alaska south through British Columbia to Washington and Oregon, and locally inland to Idaho....
     - Edible Thistle
  • Cirsium engelmannii - Engelmann Thistle, Engelmann's Thistle
  • Cirsium eriophorum
    Cirsium eriophorum

    Cirsium eriophorum or Woolly thistle is a herbaceous biennial plant species of the genus Cirsium....
     - Woolly Thistle
  • Cirsium erisithales - Yellow Melancholy Thistle
  • Cirsium esculentum
  • Cirsium flodmanii - Flodman Thistle, Flodman's Thistle
  • Cirsium foliosum - Drummond's Thistle, Elk Thistle, Leafy Thistle, Meadow Thistle
  • Cirsium fontinale
    Cirsium fontinale

    Cirsium fontinale or Fountain thistle is an flowering perennial plant herb of the Asteraceae family, endemism to a limited region within northern and central California at an elevation not exceeding 750 meters....
     - Fountain Thistle
  • Cirsium gilense - Gila Thistle
  • Cirsium grahamii - Graham's Thistle
  • Cirsium griseum - Gray Thistle
  • Cirsium hallii - Hall's Thistle
  • Cirsium helenioides - Melancholy Thistle, Common Melancholy Thistle
  • Cirsium heterophyllum - Melancholy Thistle
  • Cirsium hillii - Hill's Thistle
  • Cirsium hookerianum - White Thistle
  • Cirsium horridulum - Yellow Thistle
  • Cirsium humboldtense - Humboldt County Thistle
  • Cirsium hydrophilum - Suisun Thistle
  • Cirsium hypoleucum
  • Cirsium inornatum - Cloudcroft Thistle
  • Cirsium japonicum - Japanese Thistle
  • Cirsium kamtschaticum - Kamchatka Thistle
  • Cirsium lanatum - Hairy Thistle
  • Cirsium laterifolium - Porcupine Thistle
  • Cirsium lecontei - Le Conte's Thistle
  • Cirsium leo
  • Cirsium libanoticum
  • Cirsium loncholepis - LaGraciosa Thistle
  • Cirsium longistylum - Longstyle Thistle
  • Cirsium maritimum
  • Cirsium mendocinum - Mendocino Thistle
  • Cirsium mexicanum - Mexican Thistle
  • Cirsium modestum - Lacy Thistle
  • Cirsium mohavense - Mojave Thistle
  • Cirsium murdockii - Murdock's Thistle
  • Cirsium muticum - Swamp Thistle
  • Cirsium navajoense - Navajo Thistle
  • Cirsium neomexicanum
    Cirsium neomexicanum

    Cirsium neomexicanum is a species of thistle known by the common names New Mexico thistle, powderpuff thistle, lavender thistle, and desert thistle....
     - Lavender Thistle, New Mexico Thistle
  • Cirsium nipponicum
  • Cirsium nuttallii - Nuttall's Thistle
  • Cirsium occidentale
    Cirsium occidentale

    Cirsium occidentale is a species of thistle known by the common name cobwebby thistle. This plant may be short or quite tall, forming low clumps or towering to heights approaching 3 meters....
     -Cobweb Thistle
  • Cirsium ochrocentrum - Yellowspine Thistle
  • Cirsium oleraceum
    Cirsium oleraceum

    Cirsium oleraceum is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium, native to central and eastern Europe and Asia, where it grows in wet lowland soils....
     - Cabbage thistle
  • Cirsium olivescens - Summer Thistle
  • Cirsium oreophilum - Crow Thistle
  • Cirsium osterhoutii - Osterhout's Thistle
  • Cirsium ownbeyi - Ownbey's Thistle
  • Cirsium pallidum - Pale Thistle
  • Cirsium palustre
    Cirsium palustre

    Cirsium palustre is a herbaceous biennial plant species of the genus Cirsium. It is a tall thistle that reaches up to 2 metres in height....
     - Marsh thistle, European Swamp Thistle
  • Cirsium parryi - Parry's Thistle
  • Cirsium pastoris - Snowy Thistle
  • Cirsium peckii - Steen Mountain Thistle
  • Cirsium pendulum
  • Cirsium perplexans - Rocky Mountain Thistle
  • Cirsium pitcheri - Pitcher's Thistle, Sand Dune Thistle
  • Cirsium praeteriens - Palo Alto Thistle, Lost Thistle
  • Cirsium proteanum - Red Thistle
  • Cirsium pulcherrimum - Wyoming Thistle
  • Cirsium pumilum - Pasture Thistle
  • Cirsium pyrenaicum
  • Cirsium quercetorum
    Cirsium quercetorum

    Cirsium quercetorum is a species of thistle which is Endemism to the coast of California. Its common names include brownie thistle and Alameda thistle....
     - Alameda County Thistle
  • Cirsium remotifolium - Fewleaf Thistle
    • Cirsium remotifolium var. remotifolium - Fewleaf Thistle
  • Cirsium repandum - Sandhill Thistle
  • Cirsium rhaphilepis
  • Cirsium rhothophilum - Surf Thistle
  • Cirsium rivulare
  • Cirsium rothrockii - Rothrock's Thistle
  • Cirsium rusbyi - Rusby's Thistle
  • Cirsium rydbergii - Rydberg's Thistle
  • Cirsium scabrum - Rough Thistle
  • Cirsium scapanolepis - Mountain Slope Thistle
  • Cirsium scariosum - Meadow Thistle
  • Cirsium scopulorum - Mountain Thistle
  • Cirsium segetum
  • Cirsium serrulatum
  • Cirsium spinosissimum
    Cirsium spinosissimum

    Cirsium spinosissimum is a species of thistle which grows on dry rocky areas. The plant is between 20 to 80 cm....
  • Cirsium subniveum - Gray Thistle, Jackson Hole Thistle
  • Cirsium tanakae
  • Cirsium texanum - Texas Thistle
  • Cirsium tioganum - Stemless Thistle
  • Cirsium turneri - Cliff Thistle
  • Cirsium undulatum - Gray Thistle, Wavy-leaf Thistle, Wavyleaf Thistle
    • Cirsium undulatum var. tracyi - Tracy's Thistle, Wavyleaf Thistle
    • Cirsium undulatum var. undulatum - Wavyleaf Thistle
  • Cirsium validus - Graceful Thistle
  • Cirsium vernale - Spring Thistle
  • Cirsium vinaceum - Sacramento Mountain Thistle, Sacramento Mountains Thistle
  • Cirsium virginense - Virgin Thistle
  • Cirsium virginianum - Virginia Thistle
  • Cirsium vulgare
    Cirsium vulgare

    Cirsium vulgare is a species of the genus Cirsium, native throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but also present in North America as an invasive species weed....
     - Bull Thistle, Spear Thistle, Common Thistle, Fuller's Thistle (syn. C. lanceolatum)
  • Cirsium wheeleri - Wheeler's Thistle
  • Cirsium wrightii - Wright's Thistle
Hybrids
  • Cirsium × canalense - Canal Thistle
  • Cirsium × crassum - Thistle
  • Cirsium × erosum - Glory Thistle
  • Cirsium × iowense - Iowa Thistle
  • Cirsium × vancouverense - Vancouver Thistle


Further reading

ISBN 0-89672-614-2