Flora of North America species comparison

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Cirsium edule var. edule

Cirsium edule var. macounii
Photo is of parent taxon

edible thistle, Hall's thistle, Indian thistle, Macoun's thistle
Photo is of parent taxon

edible thistle, Macoun's thistle
Peduncles

0–1(–4) cm.

0–5(–10) cm.
Involucres

1.5–2.5 × 1.5–3 cm, thinly to densely arachnoid.

2–4 × 2.5–4 cm, usually densely arachnoid.
Corollas

14–21 mm, tubes 5–11 mm, throats 4–8 mm, lobes 4–6 mm;

style tips 3–4 mm.

(15–)18–22 mm, tubes 7–11 mm, throats (4–)5–8.5 mm, lobes (2–)4.5–7 mm;

style tips 4–5 mm.
Heads

usually crowded at stem tips.

often densely crowded at stem tips.
Cypselae

light to dark brown, 3.5–4.5 mm;

pappi 9–13 mm.

dark brown, 5–6.5 mm;

pappi 20–25 mm.
Phyllary

apices ascending or ± spreading, plane to acicular, spines 1–5 mm.

apices widely spreading, long-acicular, spines 5–15 mm.
2n

= 34 (as C. edule).

Cirsium edule var. edule

Cirsium edule var. macounii
Phenology Flowering summer (Jun–Aug). Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat Sea bluffs, roadsides, damp soil at edge of woods, openings in conifer or conifer-hardwood forests Damp soil, mostly montane meadows, forests, alpine
Elevation 0–900 m (0–3000 ft) 0–1900 m (0–6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; OR; WA; BC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety edule is known from the coast and coast ranges of Oregon and Washington. Some coastal populations of var. edule approach montane forms of var. macounii in stature, head size, and involucre pubescence. Some of the variation in var. edule may be a result of past introgression with Cirsium remotifolium. Populations of var. edule from within the ranges of C. remotifolium vars. odontolepis, remotifolium, and rivulare often show features of those taxa.

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

Variety macounii ranges from the coastal mountains of southeastern Alaska and British Columbia to Vancouver Island, the Olympic Peninsula, and northern Cascades of Washington, and the mountains of northwestern Oregon.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 147. FNA vol. 19, p. 147.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium > Cirsium edule Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium > Cirsium edule
Sibling taxa
C. edule var. macounii, C. edule var. wenatchense
C. edule var. edule, C. edule var. wenatchense
Synonyms C. hallii Carduus macounii, C. macounii
Name authority unknown (Greene) D. J. Keil: Sida 21: 213. (2004)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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