[23] The dried florets steeped in water are used in rural Italy for curdling goats' milk in preparation for making cheese. Online Date. For this reason, it has many other common names, such as 'Sticky Bobs', 'Stick-a-back' and 'Kisses' (because lovers cling to each other, too). Required fields are marked *. Napolit. The plant is a biennial, the stem 1 to 5 feet high, stout and strong, more or less woolly with … It also occurs on roadsides, coastal dunes and in woodland clearings. 01555067. THISTLE, SPEAR Botanical: Carduus lanceolatus Family: N.O. [citation needed], Other English names include bull thistle,[13][22] Scots, Scottish, or Scotch thistle, and common thistle. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. It's almost impossible to misidentify a thistle. [13] Nitrogen-rich soils help increase its proliferation. 28 Feb 2017 12:00 am. Spear thistles grow to be 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 5 feet) in height, with flower stems at the end of the branches, and look similar to the well known Scotch thistle or cotton thistle, although they are a different species of plant and have the scientific name Onopordum acanthium. Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare) buds, Dorset, England, UK, July. Spear thistle, (sometimes referred to as 'scotch thistle'), is an annual (living for one year) or biennial (living two years) herb, growing to 60 to 120 cm, and occasionally to 1.5 metres. The monarch butterfly and other larger-sized butterflies can feed easily from the flowers due to their large size. In areas where it does not form monocultures it may also be welcome as a part of a meadow landscape. Most posts contain affiliate links. [13], Spear thistle is designated an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959,[18] and a noxious weed in Australia[17][19][20] and in nine US states. ", "Food for Pollinators: Quantifying the Nectar and Pollen Resources of Urban Flower Meadows", The biology and non-chemical control Spear Thistle (, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cirsium_vulgare&oldid=987581482, Articles with dead external links from August 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Taxonbars with automatically added basionyms, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 November 2020, at 00:02. The key to 26 invertebrate pest groups that cause serious damage to maize together with accompanying fact sheets. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. thistle has been identified in Oregon only since 1987, purple/Iberian starthistle since 1993. On my daily walks to the local marshy stream by a large meadow, a cluster of Bull thistles has recently burst into brilliant purple-pink flower. 2:241 (1798); C. lanceolatus L., Sp. The flowerheads are 2 … Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle, common thistle, or spear thistle) is listed as a noxious weed in nine US states. I accept that the fact that ammunition was not found in the house does not mean that Mr. McCloskey didn't in fact have full magazines available at the time he confronted the mob. Rights Royalty Free Rights Managed. The root is edible, and according to one source, it tastes “like burdock root only better.”While burdock stalks are delicious, I really can’t stand burdock root, and I think it tastes like bitter dirt.Thus, I’m not excited about cooking up a thistle root. Pl. Common name(s): Bull thistle, spear thistle Scientific name: Cirsium vulgare Family: Sunflower or Aster family (Asteraceae) Reasons for concern: This aggressive and persistent species can quickly take over both disturbed and unattended areas, and outcompete native species, reducing plant diversity and wildlife habitat. But thistle is an easy to identify genus and an easy to find plant. Compositae---Parts Used---Root, leaves. It grows in waste places, by roadsides, in pastures and cultivated ground, and … Spear Thistle Fl.Napol. THISTLE, SPEAR Botanical: Carduus lanceolatus Family: N.O. purple-red, Jan to Dec. Weed of … Please report them if you think you have them. However, to add another positive note, it's a drought-tolerant plant which makes it a great plant to use in very hot (and sometimes dry) places … Your email address will not be published. Spear thistles are not used as weapons… but can hurt! [14] The flowers are a rich nectar source used by numerous pollinating insects, including honey bees, wool-carder bees, and many butterflies. The inflorescence is 2.5–5 cm diameter, pink-purple, with all the florets of similar form (no division into disc and ray florets). The stem is winged, with numerous longitudinal spine-tipped wings along its full length. Spear thistle. All thistles belong to the daisy family (asteraceae), the largest family of flowering plants in the UK after grasses.The flower heads are made up of a number of individual flowers or florets giving rise to this family being called “composites”. 5:209 (1835) Conservation Code: Not threatened Naturalised Status: Alien to Western Australia Name Status: Current Brief Description Amanda Spooner, Tuesday 29 April 1997. The flowers are a rich nectar source used by numerous pollinating insects, including honey bees, wool-carder bees, and many butterflies. Pis. The leaves are dark green, rough and hairy on the upper surface, and lighter beneath due to a dense covering of whitish hairs. [22], The stems can be peeled and then steamed or boiled. It grows in waste places, by roadsides, in pastures and cultivated ground, and is generally distributed over the whole kingdom. [2][3][4][5][6] It is also naturalised in North America, Africa, and Australia and is an invasive weed in some areas. It sometimes will function as an annual, flowering in the first year. The small purple florets are clustered in a dense sphere surrounded by spiny bracts. Compositae---Parts Used---Root, leaves. The supports for pollinators and pest-eating birds could outweigh its drawbacks. Spear thistles have flower heads that are bristle like and are coloured pink to purple, and the plant has green, sharp spiny leaves. Scientific name: Cirsium vulgare. A common plant of disturbed ground like roadside verges and field edges, the Spear thistle has purple, fluffy flower heads that appear in summer. Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) Spear Thistle also has spiny winged stems but grow taller (to 2m). 5:209 (1835-36). Farmland. PAY ATTENTION TO THE RISK INDICATIONS AND FOLLOW THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ON THE LABEL. [16] The seeds are dispersed by wind, mud, water, and possibly also by ants; they do not show significant long-term dormancy, most germinating soon after dispersal and only a few lasting up to four years in the soil seed bank. Spear thistle stems, flowers, roots, and seeds can be eaten and the stems and leaves can be peeled and then steamed or boiled. Goats ' milk in preparation for making cheese in woodland clearings place while this was..., by roadsides, coastal dunes and in woodland clearings folks can the! Advantage and at the tips of the teeth or lobes invasive weed in some.... 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