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black or Le Conte's thistle, Le Conte's thistle

Graham's thistle

Habit Perennials but sometimes appearing biennial, 35–110 cm; taproots, sometimes with root sprouts. Biennials, 50–100 cm; taproots slender and fascicles of thick fibrous roots.
Stems

1–few, erect, distal 1/2 nearly naked, loosely arachnoid;

branches 0–5(–10), stiffly ascending.

1, erect, thinly arachnoid and/or puberulent to short-pilose, sometimes ± glabrate;

branches 0–4, ascending.

Leaves

blades linear to oblong or narrowly elliptic, 15–25 × 1–4 cm, coarsely toothed to shallowly pinnatifid, lobes undivided or coarsely few-toothed, main spines 3–6 mm, abaxial faces often ± glabrate, loosely arachnoid when young, adaxial glabrous or sparingly villous with coarse, multicellular trichomes;

basal sometimes absent at flowering, petiolate;

principal cauline sessile, progressively reduced distally, bases clasping or ± decurrent;

distal cauline few, widely separated, bractlike.

blades oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 20–30 × 3–8 cm, spinulose and otherwise entire or coarsely dentate to deeply pinnatifid, lobes entire or coarsely few toothed or lobed, main spines slender, 3–6 mm, abaxial ± persistently gray-tomentose, sometimes pilose along veins, adaxial faces thinly arachnoid and ± glabrate;

basal often present at flowering, sessile or narrowly winged-petiolate;

principal cauline gradually winged-petiolate or sessile, reduced distally, bases sometimes clasping or short-decurrent;

distal cauline ascending, becoming bractlike, narrow, lobed or not.

Peduncles

5–30 cm (elevated above cauline leaves, not subtended by ring of involucre-like bracts).

10–30 cm.

Involucres

broadly cylindric to campanulate, 2.5–4 × 1.5–4 cm, loosely arachnoid, ± glabrate.

hemispheric, 2–3 × 2–4 cm, thinly arachnoid or glabrous.

Corollas

pink-purple, 22–45 mm, tubes 10–23 mm, throats 8–14 mm, lobes 7–10 mm;

style tips 4–5 mm.

deep purple, 22–30 mm, tubes 13–18 mm, throats 4–5 mm, lobes 5–8 mm;

style tips 4–4.5 mm.

Phyllaries

in 6–10 series, imbricate, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with prominent glutinous ridge, outer and middle tightly appressed, margins spinulose-serrulate, spines ascending, 0.5–2 mm;

apices of inner flat, linear- acuminate.

in ca. 8 series, imbricate, proximally brownish, distally dark purplish, lanceolate to linear, margins of outer hispidulous-ciliolate, spiny fringed, pinnately spiny or with scarious appendages, abaxial faces with prominent, glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed or only apices spreading, bodies minutely spinulose-denticulate, spines erect to ascending, 1.5–2.5 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries often flexuous, flat, scabridulous.

Heads

borne singly or less commonly 2–5(–10) in open, corymbiform arrays.

1–5.

Cypselae

light brown, 5–5.75 mm, apical collars paler than body, ca. 0.75 mm;

pappi 20–40 mm.

tan with dark speckles to dark purplish brown, 4–5.5 mm, apical collars not differently colored;

pappi 13–18 mm.

2n

= 28, 32.

= 32 (Mexico).

Cirsium lecontei

Cirsium grahamii

Phenology Flowering spring–summer (May–Aug). Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Sandy pinelands of coastal plain, often in damp soil Oak woodlands, coniferous forests, meadows, often in damp soil
Elevation 0–150 m (0–500 ft) 1400–2600 m (4600–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; LA; MS; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Cirsium lecontei occurs on the southern coastal plain. R. J. Moore and C. Frankton (1969) suggested that it originated as a derivative of ancient hybridization between the ancestors of C. horridulum and C. nuttallii. They further suggested a relationship between C. lecontei and C. grahamii of Arizona and hypothesized an ancient dispersal from the southeastern coastal plain to the western cordillera. Although such relationships are possible, I have seen little support for them in my examination of these taxa. I think it is more likely that C. lecontei, C. horridulum, and C. nuttallii originated from a common stock, and that the resemblances between C. lecontei and C. grahamii are a result of convergence.

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

Cirsium grahamii occurs in the mountains of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It forms hybrid swarms with C. parryi and C. scariosum var. coloradense in the White Mountains of Arizona.

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

Source FNA vol. 19, p. 114. FNA vol. 19, p. 124.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium Asteraceae > tribe Cardueae > Cirsium
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Synonyms Carduus lecontei
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 458. (1843) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 102. (1853)
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