Summary ⁶

Cirsium vulgare (Spear Thistle, Bull thistle, Plumed thistle, Roadside thistle; syn. C. lanceolatum) is a species of the genus Cirsium, native throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but also present in North America as an invasive weed. It is designated an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959 and a noxious weed in nine US states.

Biology ⁷

The spear thistle is a perennial species. Seedlings appear from autumn to April and they do not begin to flower until their second year of growth (4). Flowers are produced from July to September (6), and are pollinated by long-tongued bees, hover-flies and butterflies (2). After the seeds have been produced, the flowering stems die back (4).

Sources and Credits

1. (c) beautifulcataya, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/70668033@N00/3804996777
2. (c) Sciadopitys from UK, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Cirsium_vulgare_Harthope.jpg
3. (c) Udo Schmidt, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7718019778_e08f714a51_o.jpg
4. (c) Udo Schmidt, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/7718023374_2c98fc586d_o.jpg
5. (c) Kenraiz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/CIrsium_vulgare_kz1.jpg/460px-CIrsium_vulgare_kz1.jpg
6. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_vulgare
7. (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/6688839

More Info

• iNat taxon page
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• USDA PLANTS database
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• World Flora Online
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Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

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