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Anderson's thistle, rose thistle

Ownbey's thistle

Habit Perennials (but often appearing biennial), (15–)40–70(–100) cm; rootstocks producing erect, taprooted caudices and rosettes. Perennials, 30–70 cm; taproots and branched caudices with persistent dark-brown leaf bases.
Stems

usually 1, erect, subglabrous to puberulent and/or tomentose;

branches 0–several, stiffly ascending.

1–several, erect, simple or sparingly branched in distal 1/2, glabrous or thinly arachnoid and sparingly villous with jointed trichomes.

Leaves

blades ± elliptic, 8–35 × 4–8 cm, divided about halfway to midveins, lobes spreading, triangular, coarsely dentate or with a few broad lobes, obtuse to acute, main spines 1–5 mm, abaxial faces green or gray, thinly tomentose, adaxial green and glabrous to sparingly pilose;

basal often present at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate;

main cauline reduced distally, bases clasping;

distal much reduced, linear-oblong, usually less deeply lobed and often spinier than proximal.

blades oblong to elliptic or oblanceolate, 15–30+ × 2–7 cm, deeply 2–3-pinnately divided, lobes linear to linear-lanceolate, spinulose to spiny-dentate or shallowly lobed, main spines slender, 2–8 mm, abaxial faces glabrous to thinly tomentose and villous along major veins, soon glabrescent, adaxial glabrous;

basal present at flowering, narrowly spiny winged-petiolate;

principal cauline well distributed, proximal winged-petiolate, mid and distal sessile, gradually reduced, bases decurrent as spiny wings 1–3 cm;

distalmost reduced to spiny-pectinate bracts.

Peduncles

0–20 cm.

0–4 cm.

Involucres

broadly cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 3–5 × 2–4 cm, loosely arachnoid or ± glabrous, finely short-ciliate.

ovoid, 1.8–2.5 cm, 1.5–2.5 cm diam., loosely arachnoid, glabrate.

Corollas

red to reddish purple, 30–45 mm, tubes 10–20 mm, throats 10–16 mm, lobes 9–11 mm;

style tips 3.5–5 mm.

white to pink or pink-purple, 16–20 mm, tubes 6–8 mm, throats 5–6 mm, lobes 5–7 mm;

style tips 3.5–4.5 mm.

Phyllaries

in 6–8 series, imbricate, outer green, inner purple to red, linear-lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), abaxial faces without glutinous ridge;

outer and mid bodies short, appressed, entire or spinulose-ciliate, apices long-spreading to ascending, entire or spinulose-ciliate or rarely with expanded, fringed appendages, spines straight, weak, 1–3 mm;

apices of inner red to purple, straight or rarely twisted, long, flat, entire.

in 5–6 series, imbricate, green, linear-lanceolate, abaxial faces without or with poorly developed glutinous ridge;

outer and mid bases appressed, apices stiffly radiating to ascending, long, very narrow, entire, spines slender, 3–10 mm;

apices of inner straight, flexuous.

Heads

1–6, borne singly or in corymbiform, racemiform, or spiciform arrays.

1–few, erect, ± crowded in corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

brown, 6–7 mm, apical collars narrow;

pappi 25–40 mm.

brown, ca. 4 mm, apical collars not differentiated;

pappi 13–17 mm.

2n

= 32, 64.

Cirsium andersonii

Cirsium ownbeyi

Phenology Flowering summer (Jul–Sep). Flowering summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Moist to dry soils, openings in montane woodlands, montaine coniferous forests, aspen groves Stony soils in sparsely vegetated areas of pinyon-juniper woodlands, sagebrush scrub, arid grasslands, and riparian scrub, in dry sites or sometimes on seeps
Elevation 1100–2900 m (3600–9500 ft) 1500–2400 m (4900–7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; UT; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cirsium andersonii grows in the Cascade Range of northern California south through the Sierra Nevada of eastern California and western Nevada. It has been reported from the mountains of southwestern Idaho, but I have not seen specimens from there.

Heads of Cirsium andersonii are actively visited by hummingbirds as well as a variety of insects (P. L. Barlow-Irick 2002).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Cirsium ownbeyi is endemic to the eastern side of the Uintah Mountains in northeastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, and northwestern Colorado. It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 19, p. 145. FNA vol. 19, p. 153.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium
Sibling taxa
C. altissimum, C. andrewsii, C. arizonicum, C. arvense, C. barnebyi, C. brevifolium, C. brevistylum, C. canescens, C. carolinianum, C. ciliolatum, C. clavatum, C. crassicaule, C. cymosum, C. discolor, C. douglasii, C. drummondii, C. eatonii, C. edule, C. engelmannii, C. flodmanii, C. foliosum, C. fontinale, C. grahamii, C. helenioides, C. hookerianum, C. horridulum, C. hydrophilum, C. inamoenum, C. joannae, C. kamtschaticum, C. lecontei, C. longistylum, C. mohavense, C. muticum, C. neomexicanum, C. nuttallii, C. occidentale, C. ochrocentrum, C. ownbeyi, C. palustre, C. parryi, C. perplexans, C. pitcheri, C. praeteriens, C. pulcherrimum, C. pumilum, C. quercetorum, C. remotifolium, C. repandum, C. rhothophilum, C. rydbergii, C. scariosum, C. texanum, C. tracyi, C. turneri, C. undulatum, C. vinaceum, C. virginianum, C. vulgare, C. wheeleri, C. wrightii
C. altissimum, C. andersonii, C. andrewsii, C. arizonicum, C. arvense, C. barnebyi, C. brevifolium, C. brevistylum, C. canescens, C. carolinianum, C. ciliolatum, C. clavatum, C. crassicaule, C. cymosum, C. discolor, C. douglasii, C. drummondii, C. eatonii, C. edule, C. engelmannii, C. flodmanii, C. foliosum, C. fontinale, C. grahamii, C. helenioides, C. hookerianum, C. horridulum, C. hydrophilum, C. inamoenum, C. joannae, C. kamtschaticum, C. lecontei, C. longistylum, C. mohavense, C. muticum, C. neomexicanum, C. nuttallii, C. occidentale, C. ochrocentrum, C. palustre, C. parryi, C. perplexans, C. pitcheri, C. praeteriens, C. pulcherrimum, C. pumilum, C. quercetorum, C. remotifolium, C. repandum, C. rhothophilum, C. rydbergii, C. scariosum, C. texanum, C. tracyi, C. turneri, C. undulatum, C. vinaceum, C. virginianum, C. vulgare, C. wheeleri, C. wrightii
Synonyms Cnicus andersonii
Name authority (A. Gray) Petrak: Bot. Tiddsskr. 31: 68. (1911) S. L. Welsh: Great Basin Naturalist 42: 200. (1982)
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