OregonFlora species comparison

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Carduus pycnocephalus

Carduus crispus

compact-headed thistle, Italian thistle

curly plumeless thistle
Habit Plants annual, 2–20 dm.
Basal leaves

10–25 cm, deeply lobed or pinnatifid.

Cauline leaves

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

cylindric or ellipsoid, 10–25 mm in diameter.

Disc florets

corollas 14–16 mm, purple.

Phyllaries

narrowly lanceolate;

margins not membranous; midribs prominent.

Fruits

4–6 mm, tan or brown;

pappus bristles 15–20 mm.

Heads

2–5 per cluster;

peduncles winged.

2n

=54, 60, 62.

Carduus pycnocephalus

Carduus crispus
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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
Sibling taxa
C. acanthoides, C. crispus, C. nutans, C. tenuiflorus
C. acanthoides, C. nutans, C. pycnocephalus, C. tenuiflorus
Synonyms Carduus pycnocephalus ssp. pycnocephalus
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from OregonFlora.



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