Minnesota Wildflowers


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Cirsium vulgare (Bull Thistle)

Plant Info
Also known as:
Genus:Cirsium
Family:Asteraceae (Aster)
Life cycle:biennial
Origin:Europe
Status:
  • Invasive - ERADICATE!
  • Noxious Weed
  • Prohibited or Restricted species
Habitat:sun; dry fields, disturbed soils
Bloom season:June - October
Plant height:2 to 6 feet
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: indistinct round

[photo of flower] Reddish-purple flower head 1½ to 2 inches across, solitary or a few clustered at the end of branching stems. The bracts are narrow and spreading, tipped with short spines.

Leaves and stem: alternate lobed

[photo of leaves] Leaves are 3 to 6 inches long and up to 2 inches wide, alternately attached, hairy on the upper surface and around the edges, and woolly on the underside. Each leaf has 3 or more narrow lobes with a ½-inch long sharp yellowish spine at the tip of each lobe. The main stem is hairy and covered with small leafy spine-tipped “wings”.

Fruit:

[photo of seed] Like other thistles, the seeds have plumes to carry them off in the wind.

Notes:

Bull Thistle is on the noxious weed list for Minnesota and is one of the spiniest thistles. It resembles Plumeless Thistle (Carduus acanthoides), also a noxious weed, but its flowers are typically 1 inch across or less, leaves are mostly hairless on the upper surface, and is overall even spinier than Bull Thistle.

Where to buy native seed and plants

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  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, August-September 2006 and August 2009

Comments

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