Flora of North America species comparison

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Cirsium edule var. macounii

Cirsium edule var. wenatchense
Photo is of parent taxon

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

Wenatchee thistle
Peduncles

0–5(–10) cm.

10–30 cm.
Involucres

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

3–4 × 4–5 cm, moderately arachnoid.
Corollas

(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.

29–33 mm, tubes 9–11 mm, throats 8–12 mm, lobes 9–10 mm;

style tips 3–4 mm.
Heads

often densely crowded at stem tips.

mostly borne singly.
Cypselae

dark brown, 5–6.5 mm;

pappi 20–25 mm.

dark brown, 4.5–6 mm;

pappi 20–25 mm.
Phyllary

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

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

= 34 (as C. edule).

Cirsium edule var. macounii

Cirsium edule var. wenatchense
Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct. Flowering summer (Jul–Aug).
Habitat Damp soil, mostly montane meadows, forests, alpine Stream banks, rocky slopes
Elevation 0–1900 m (0–6200 ft) 600–1200 m (2000–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; OR; WA; BC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Of conservation concern.

Variety wenatchense is known only from the Wenatchee Mountains of central Washington. Little is known of its ecology.

(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. edule, C. edule var. wenatchense
C. edule var. edule, C. edule var. macounii
Synonyms Carduus macounii, C. macounii
Name authority (Greene) D. J. Keil: Sida 21: 213. (2004) 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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