Cirsium pumilum
Cirsium carolinianum
pasture thistle
Carolina or purple or soft or smallhead thistle, Carolina thistle, soft thistle
erect, villous with septate trichomes and sometimes thinly arachnoid tomentose;
branches 0–few, distal, ascending.
usually single, erect, glabrous to ± tomentose, sometimes sparsely villous with septate trichomes;
branches few, usually distal, ascending.
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.
blades linear to oblanceolate or elliptic, 10–30 × 1–5 cm, unlobed and spinulose to irregularly dentate or pinnatifid, lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, sometimes coarsely toothed or lobed toward base, acuminate, main spines slender, 1–5 mm, abaxial faces gray-tomentose, adaxial glabrous or sparsely villous with septate trichomes;
basal often present at flowering, petioles slender, winged, bases long-tapered;
principal cauline relatively few (10–25), petiolate or distal sessile, mostly restricted to proximal 1/2 of stems, progressively reduced distally, bases tapered, not decurrent;
distal cauline widely separated, linear to narrowly elliptic, reduced, becoming ± bractlike, merely spinulose to irregularly dentate or shallowly lobed.
0–15+ cm (above distal leaves), leafy-bracted.
slender, 1–15 cm (not overtopped by distal leaves).
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.
narrowly ovoid to campanulate, 1.2–2 × 1.2–2 cm, thinly arachnoid-ciliate.
pink to purple (white), 40–60 mm, tubes 20–35 mm, throats 11–15 mm, lobes 7–10 mm;
style tips 3–7 mm.
pink-purple (white), 15–20 mm, tubes 5–9 mm, throats 5–7 mm (noticeably wider than tubes), lobes 4–5 mm;
style tips 4 mm.
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.
in 7–10 series, imbricate, green, linear to lanceolate (outer) or linear to linear-lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with narrow, glutinous ridge;
outer and middle ascending to appressed, bodies entire, apices widely spreading (at least the outer), spines ascending to spreading (at least the outer), slender, 1–4 mm;
apices of inner phyllaries flat, often twisted, acuminate.
1–few, borne singly at tips of main stem and branches, often closely subtended by 1–several bracts.
(1–)2–9(–many), in paniculiform arrays.
stramineous to brown, 3.5–5 mm, apical collars yellow or colored like body;
pappi 35–45 mm.
light brown, 3–4 mm, apical collars yellowish, 0.5–1 mm;
pappi 12–14 mm.
= 30.
= 20, 22.
Cirsium pumilum
Cirsium carolinianum
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Flowers of Cirsium pumilum are reportedly sweetly scented.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Cirsium carolinianum is widely distributed in the southeastern United States: on the Gulf coastal plain from Texas to Alabama north through the Ouachita and Ozark highlands to southeastern Missouri; in the Ohio River Valley from southernmost Illinois to southern Ohio and northern Kentucky; and in the southern Appalachians and Piedmont from Alabama and Tennessee to southern Virginia. Cirsium carolinianum, though widespread, is a taxon of conservation concern over part of its range. The replacement of open woods by dense forests brought about by fire suppression has greatly reduced available habitat.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Spines of outer phyllaries stout, 3–6 mm; plants usually with several long branches; leaves usually lobed nearly to the midvein; roots rarely and only slightly tuberous-thickened; cypselae usually 3.5– 4 mm | var. pumilum |
1. Spines of outer phyllaries slender, 1.5–3 mm; plants simple or distally with a few short branches; leaves usually shallowly lobed; roots often tuberous-thickened; cypselae usually 4.5–5 mm | var. hillii |
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