Nodding Thistle

(Carduus nutans)

 

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Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Flower head large, single, round, and spiny. Florets pink to lavender in a shaving brush shaped cluster at the top of the flower head. Flower head commonly bent downward when mature. Bracts large, curled downward and tinged with lavender. Stem with spines and spiny plates. Leaves very spiny, blue-green, commonly with a pronounced whitish midrib. Plant 1 to 3 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America.

Habitat: Nodding Thistle is a weed found in a variety of disturbed areas including fields, empty lots, and roadsides.

Flowering period: June to October.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans)

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Similar Species:

The combination of the lavender flower head bracts, the spiny stem, and the nodding flower head will readily identify this species.

Similar Species

No Similar Species