Cirsium andersonii |
Cirsium pumilum |
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Anderson's thistle, rose thistle |
pasture thistle |
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Habit | Perennials (but often appearing biennial), (15–)40–70(–100) cm; rootstocks producing erect, taprooted caudices and rosettes. | Biennials or monocarpic perennials, 25–100 cm; sometimes perennating by root sprouts. | ||||
Stems | usually 1, erect, subglabrous to puberulent and/or tomentose; branches 0–several, stiffly ascending. |
erect, villous with septate trichomes and sometimes thinly arachnoid tomentose; branches 0–few, distal, ascending. |
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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-elliptic, 5–30+ × 2–10 cm, ± undulate, shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes ovate to broadly triangular, usually separated by broad sinuses, spinose-dentate or lobed, main spines 1.5–7 mm, slender to stout, abaxial faces villous with septate trichomes, at least along veins, sometimes thinly arachnoid, adaxial faces villous with septate trichomes and thinly arachnoid tomentose or subglabrous; basal often present at flowering, bases tapered; principal cauline sessile, moderately reduced distally, bases often auriculate-clasping; distal reduced, similar to proximal. |
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Peduncles | 0–20 cm. |
0–15+ cm (above distal leaves), leafy-bracted. |
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Involucres | broadly cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 3–5 × 2–4 cm, loosely arachnoid or ± glabrous, finely short-ciliate. |
broadly cylindric to ovoid, 3.5–5 cm, 2.5–3 cm diam. (appearing much wider and hemispheric to campanulate in pressed specimens), loosely arachnoid on phyllary margins or glabrate. |
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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. |
pink to purple (white), 40–60 mm, tubes 20–35 mm, throats 11–15 mm, lobes 7–10 mm; style tips 3–7 mm. |
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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 8–10 series, imbricate, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to lance-linear (inner), abaxial faces with ± prominent glutinous ridge, outer and middle appressed, apices ascending to spreading, spines 1.5–6 mm; apices of middle and inner narrowed and scabrid-denticulate, innermost spineless, tapered and entire or with expanded, erose-denticulate, flexuous tips. |
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Heads | 1–6, borne singly or in corymbiform, racemiform, or spiciform arrays. |
1–few, borne singly at tips of main stem and branches, often closely subtended by 1–several bracts. |
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Cypselae | brown, 6–7 mm, apical collars narrow; pappi 25–40 mm. |
stramineous to brown, 3.5–5 mm, apical collars yellow or colored like body; pappi 35–45 mm. |
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2n | = 32, 64. |
= 30. |
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Cirsium andersonii |
Cirsium pumilum |
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Phenology | Flowering summer (Jul–Sep). | |||||
Habitat | Moist to dry soils, openings in montane woodlands, montaine coniferous forests, aspen groves | |||||
Elevation | 1100–2900 m (3600–9500 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CA; ID; NV
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CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; United States
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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.) |
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). Flowers of Cirsium pumilum are reportedly sweetly scented. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 19, p. 145. | FNA vol. 19, p. 116. | ||||
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium | Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Cnicus andersonii | Carduus pumilus | ||||
Name authority | (A. Gray) Petrak: Bot. Tiddsskr. 31: 68. (1911) | (Nuttall) Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 375. (1826) | ||||
Web links |