Carduus nutans |
Carduus pycnocephalus |
|
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musk thistle, nodding thistle |
compact-headed thistle, Italian thistle |
|
Habit | Plants annual or biennial, 4–20+ dm. | Plants annual, 2–20 dm. |
Basal leaves | 10–40 cm, 1–2-pinnate. |
10–25 cm, deeply lobed or pinnatifid. |
Cauline leaves | lanceolate to elliptic or linear, 4–25 cm, shallowly to deeply lobed or pinnate; lobe margins and tips spiny; surfaces glabrous or tomentose. |
obovate or oblanceolate to linear-elliptic, 4–15 cm, shallowly or deeply lobed or pinnatifid; lobe margins and tips spiny; surfaces abaxially tomentose, adaxially hispid-pustulose. |
Involucres | hemispheric, 20–60 mm in diameter. |
cylindric or ellipsoid, 10–25 mm in diameter. |
Disc florets | corollas 15–28 mm, purple. |
corollas 14–16 mm, purple. |
Phyllaries | broadly or narrowly lanceolate; midribs prominent. |
narrowly lanceolate; margins not membranous; midribs prominent. |
Fruits | 4–5 mm, tan or brown; pappus bristles 13–25 mm. |
4–6 mm, tan or brown; pappus bristles 15–20 mm. |
Heads | solitary or in pairs, often nodding; peduncles not winged. |
2–5 per cluster; peduncles winged. |
2n | =16. |
=54, 60, 62. |
Carduus nutans |
Carduus pycnocephalus |
|
Distribution | ||
Discussion | Disturbed areas, clearcuts. Flowering Jun–Oct. 0–1900 m. Col, ECas, Owy, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout most of North America; Asia, Europe. Exotic. |
Disturbed areas, waste areas, riverbanks. Flowering May–Jul. 50–700 m. CR, Sisk, WV. CA, ID; widely scattered in US; Asia, Europe. Exotic. |
Source | Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 211 Kenton Chambers |
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 211 Kenton Chambers |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Carduus pycnocephalus ssp. pycnocephalus | |
Web links |
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