CA Sate Ag Commissioner verified the ID of this species. Approx. 40 plants dug up March 2012.
Onopordum L. is a genus of about 40 species of thistles belonging to the family Asteraceae, native to Europe (mainly the Mediterranean region), northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturbed land, roadsides, arable land and pastures.