Minnesota Wildflowers


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Cirsium muticum (Swamp Thistle)

Plant Info
Also known as:
Genus:Cirsium
Family:Asteraceae (Aster)
Life cycle:biennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; swamps, bogs, wet meadows, moist open woods
Bloom season:July - October
Plant height:3 to 8 feet
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: indistinct round

[photo of flowers] Deep purple to pink flower heads rarely more than 1½ inches wide. Deep green, elongated bracts typically spineless with cottony webbing between and lighter dorsal ridge.

Leaves and stem: alternate lobed

[photo of leaves] Leaves are deeply lobed, nearly spineless, and often widely spaced on the stem. Lower leaves can be up to 8 inches long by 3 inches wide. Younger leaves can be whiteish underneath becoming smoother above and below with maturity. Stems are slender to lanky and well branched. Lower stems are sparsely woolly to almost smooth on upper growth.

Notes:

Swamp Thistle is frequent in wet meadows and woodlands throughout east central and all of northern Minnesota. While it may grow as tall as 8 feet, 5 feet is more typical.

Where to buy native seed and plants

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

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Except where noted, photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk, taken at Pioneer Park, Blaine, and a wooded road margin in Chisago County, MN

Comments

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