Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cirsium vulgare
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Bull Thistle at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cirsium vulgare
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Cirsium vulgare
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-25-001:
Carduus lanceolatus FAMILY Asteraceae__
INCLUDED WITHIN (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cirsium lanceolatum
COMMON NAME:
Bull Thistle
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cila8_001_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_399
)
Roxanna Martin rlm4410_076
April Spartanburg County SC
Leaves elliptic to oblanceolate, hirsute to scabrous above, and dissected, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm52110_42
May Spartanburg County SC
)
Roxanna Martin rlm52310_92
May Spartanburg County SC
)
Roxanna Martin rlm53010_976
May Spartanburg County SC
A robust biennial 1-2m tall, leafy to near its summit, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm61210_60
June Spartanburg County SC
Pappus white, plumose [feathery], 2-3cm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm61809_146
June Spartanburg County SC
Involucral bracts narrowly pointed, rigid, not sticky, per Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: Northeastern US (Clemants & Gracie, 2006).
COMPARE
involucral bracts of Thistles
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_cirsium_vulgare
June
Our only Cirsium with leaf bases that extend down stem forming prickly wings, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Kevin Adams kcacirsiumvulgare_35
July NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Involucres 1.0"-1.5" tall, bracts all have distinct yellowish spines, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm150927_230
September Henderson County NC
Bearwallow Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm150927_233
September Henderson County NC
Bearwallow Mountain
)
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org bug_1459723
Month Unknown
)
Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org bug_5161005
Month Unknown
)
Pedro Tenorio-Lezama, , Bugwood.org bug_5203095
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5436693
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5436694
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5436705
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5436708
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cirsium vulgare
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cirsium vulgare
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Cirsium vulgare
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-25-001:
Carduus lanceolatus
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
INCLUDED WITHIN (MISAPPLIED)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cirsium lanceolatum
257
Forb
Biennial
Habitat: Meadows, pastures, and disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common (uncommon in GA Piedmont) (rare in Coastal Plain of GA & SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Leaf margins spiny
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Disc: Purplish
Rays: Absent
Inferior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p430
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p394
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p131
- Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: Northeastern US (Clemants & Gracie, 2006) p094
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p253
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p068
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p286
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p334
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p184
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".