The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Anderson's thistle

edible thistle

Habit Plants perennial, (1.5)4–7(10) dm; taprooted, sometimes with creeping roots. Plants biennial or monocarpic perennial, 2–35 dm; taprooted.
Stems

usually 1, sparsely arachnoid-tomentose to glabrate.

usually 1, sparsely to densely arachnoid-villous.

Leaves

elliptic to linear-oblong, 8–20(35) × 2–8 cm, gradually reduced above;

margins coarsely dentate or 1–2-pinnate;

spines 1–5 mm;

surfaces abaxially ± thinly gray-tomentose, adaxially glabrous to sparsely pilose;

basal usually present at flowering, clasping to petiolate.

oblong to oblanceolate, 5–50 × 1–10 cm;

margins entire, sometimes undulate, coarsely dentate to deeply pinnate;

spines 2–10 mm;

surfaces abaxially sparsely glabrate to arachnoid-tomentose, adaxially glabrate to sparsely villous, often villous along veins;

basal usually absent at flowering, sessile, clasping, or petiolate.

Involucres

broadly cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 3–5 × 2–4 cm, glabrous to thinly tomentose.

narrowly ovoid to hemispheric or campanulate, 1.5–4 × 1.5–4 cm, thinly to densely arachnoid-tomentose.

Florets

corollas 30–45 mm, red, occasionally red-purple;

tubes 10–20 mm;

throats abruptly narrowed to tubes, 10–16 mm;

lobes 9–11 mm;

styles conspicuously exserted;

tips 3.5–5 mm, sometimes geniculate.

corollas 14–22 mm, purple to pink, rarely white;

tubes 7–11 mm;

throats 4–8 mm;

lobes (2)4–7 mm;

styles conspicuously exserted;

tips 3–4 mm.

Phyllaries

without glutinous ridges;

spines weak, 1–3 mm; outer short, linear-lanceolate, appressed;

margins entire or spiny-ciliate;

tips long-acuminate; inner linear; long; entire;

tips red to purple; flat.

without glutinous ridges;

spines slender, 1–15 mm; outer bases < 2 mm wide.

Fruits

6–7 mm, brown;

pappi 25–40 mm.

3.5–6.5 mm; light to dark brown;

pappi 10–25 mm.

Heads

1–6 per branch;

lateral heads widely spaced along distal portions of branches.

1–many.

Cirsium andersonii

Cirsium edule

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

Open grasslands, montane woodlands. Flowering Jul–Sep. 1500–2500 m. ECas. CA, NV. Native.

Cirsium andersonii, while currently rare in Oregon, is well documented in northern California and Nevada.

Northwestern North America. 3 varieties; 2 varieties treated in Flora.

Cirsium edule is known to form fertile hybrids with Cirsium remotifolium where their ranges overlap.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 225
Bridget Chipman
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 227
Bridget Chipman
Sibling taxa
C. arvense, C. brevifolium, C. brevistylum, C. ciliolatum, C. cymosum, C. douglasii, C. eatonii, C. edule, C. edule x Cirsium remotifolium, C. inamoenum, C. occidentale, C. ochrocentrum, C. remotifolium, C. scariosum, C. undulatum, C. vulgare
C. andersonii, C. arvense, C. brevifolium, C. brevistylum, C. ciliolatum, C. cymosum, C. douglasii, C. eatonii, C. edule x Cirsium remotifolium, C. inamoenum, C. occidentale, C. ochrocentrum, C. remotifolium, C. scariosum, C. undulatum, C. vulgare
Subordinate taxa
C. edule var. edule, C. edule var. macounii
Web links