OregonFlora: Cirsium vulgare

	Cirsium vulgare
	bull thistle, common thistle
Habit	Plants biennial, 3–20 dm; taprooted.
Stems	usually single, spreading-villous, sometimes arachnoid.
Leaves	oblong-lanceolate to obovate, 15–40 × 6–15 cm; margins 1–2-pinnate; lobes lanceolate to triangular; spines 2–10(15) mm; surfaces abaxially tomentose; ± villous, adaxially glabrate to sparsely tomentose, with appressed bristle-like spines; basal absent or present at flowering, sessile, decurrent, or petiolate.
Involucres	hemispheric to campanulate, 2–4 × 2–4 cm, thinly tomentose.
Florets	corollas 25–35 mm, purple, rarely white; tubes 18–25 mm; throats 3–6 mm; lobes 5–9 mm; style tips 3.5–6 mm.
Phyllaries	without glutinous ridges; spines 1–5 mm.
Fruits	3–5 mm, light brown with darker streaks; pappi 20–30 mm.
Heads	few to many.

	Cirsium vulgare
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Disturbed areas, pastures. Flowering Jun–Sep. 0–2000 m. All ecoregions. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America; worldwide. Exotic. Cirsium vulgare is our only species with bristle-like spines on the upper leaf surface. This species is considered a noxious weed and is unpalatable to most livestock.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 230 Bridget Chipman
Sibling taxa	C. andersonii, 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
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Cirsium vulgare

bull thistle, common thistle

Habit

Plants biennial, 3–20 dm; taprooted.

Stems

usually single, spreading-villous, sometimes arachnoid.

Leaves

oblong-lanceolate to obovate, 15–40 × 6–15 cm;

margins 1–2-pinnate;

lobes lanceolate to triangular;

spines 2–10(15) mm;

surfaces abaxially tomentose; ± villous, adaxially glabrate to sparsely tomentose, with appressed bristle-like spines;

basal absent or present at flowering, sessile, decurrent, or petiolate.

Involucres

hemispheric to campanulate, 2–4 × 2–4 cm, thinly tomentose.

Florets

corollas 25–35 mm, purple, rarely white;

tubes 18–25 mm;

throats 3–6 mm;

lobes 5–9 mm;

style tips 3.5–6 mm.

Phyllaries

without glutinous ridges;

spines 1–5 mm.

Fruits

3–5 mm, light brown with darker streaks;

pappi 20–30 mm.

Heads

few to many.

Cirsium vulgare

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Disturbed areas, pastures. Flowering Jun–Sep. 0–2000 m. All ecoregions. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America; worldwide. Exotic.

Cirsium vulgare is our only species with bristle-like spines on the upper leaf surface. This species is considered a noxious weed and is unpalatable to most livestock.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 230
Bridget Chipman

Sibling taxa