Minnesota Wildflowers


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Cirsium discolor (Field Thistle)

Plant Info
Also known as: Pasture Thistle
Genus:Cirsium
Family:Asteraceae (Aster)
Life cycle:biennial
Origin:native
Habitat:sun; fields, along roads, open woods
Bloom season:July - October
Plant height:3 to 7 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] Flower head is 1½ to 2 inches across, pink to lavender, or occasionally white. Several flower heads branch off the main stem in the upper part of the plant.

[photo of bract] The bracts are flat, green with a white stripe and resemble fish scales. Each bract has a ¼ inch long needle-like spine at the tip that sticks straight out.

Leaves and stem: alternate lobed

[photo of leaves] Leaves are up to 9 inches long and 3 inches wide, divided into several narrow lobes, some divided further, with small spines all along the edges and longer spines at the lobe tips. The underside of leaves is white, covered in short hairs. The main stem is also covered in hairs, but not is not spiny.

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  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
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Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, Coon Rapids, MN, Rice Creek Trail Corridor, Shoreview, MN August 2006-2008

Comments

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