Cirsium helenioides
Cirsium ownbeyi
melancholy thistle
Ownbey's thistle
single, erect, ± arachnoid-tomentose;
branches 0 or few, ascending.
1–several, erect, simple or sparingly branched in distal 1/2, glabrous or thinly arachnoid and sparingly villous with jointed trichomes.
oblong to broadly lanceolate, 20–40 × 4–8 cm, finely spinulose-dentate or proximal cauline pinnatifid, lobes undivided, finely spinulose-dentate, main spines 1–2 mm, abaxial faces white-tomentose (with non-septate trichomes), adaxial glabrous;
basal present at flowering, petiolate, bases tapered;
cauline sessile, reduced distally, bases clasping, not decurrent;
distal (few, well separated), oblong or linear, the uppermost reduced to linear bracts.
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.
2–10(–30) cm (elevated above distal leaves).
0–4 cm.
broadly ovoid, 2–3 × 2–3.5 cm, glabrous or loosely arachnoid.
ovoid, 1.8–2.5 cm, 1.5–2.5 cm diam., loosely arachnoid, glabrate.
red-purple, 25–30 mm, tubes 10–23 mm, throats 8–14 mm (noticeably wider than tubes), lobes 7–10 mm;
style tips 4–5 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.
in 8–10 series, imbricate, green, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with a prominent elongate glutinous ridge, outer and middle tightly appressed, margins entire, apices with ascending, weak spines 0–1 mm;
apices of inner phyllaries attenuate, flat.
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.
borne singly or less commonly 2–5 in terminal clusters.
1–few, erect, ± crowded in corymbiform arrays.
light brown, 3–5 mm, bodies and apical collars concolorous;
pappi 20–30 mm.
brown, ca. 4 mm, apical collars not differentiated;
pappi 13–17 mm.
= 34.
Cirsium helenioides
Cirsium ownbeyi
Cirsium helenioides is one of only two species of the genus that have native populations in the Old World and the flora area. Neither reaches the North American mainland.
The conservation status of Cirsium helenioides is not known; it is known in the flora area only from a single fjord and possibly should be considered of conservation concern.
of conservation concern
(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.)
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