Cirsium
| Cirsium | ||||||||||||||||
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 Cirsium vulgare (Spear Thistle) | ||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
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| Species | ||||||||||||||||
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About 200[1]; see text |
Cirsium is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known popularly as thistles. They are mostly native to Eurasia and northern Africa, with three[1] species from North America (although several species have been introduced outside their native ranges).
They are known for their effusive flowered heads (usually purple, rose, yellow, or white). The radially symmetrical disk flowers are situated at the end of the branches. They have erect, prickly stems and leaves, with a characteristic focal point at the base of the flower which is particularly spiny. The leaves are alternate and can be slightly hairy; Their stem wings can be lacking (Cirsium arvensis), conspicuous (Cirsium vulgare), or inconspicuous. They can spread by seed and rhizome (Cirsium arvensis) or by seed alone. Their seed has tiny tufts of hair, which can carry them far by wind.
Cirsium thistles are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Cirsium.
Most species are considered weeds. Cirsium vulgare (Bull Thistle, Common Thistle or Spear Thistle) is listed as a noxious weed in nine US states. [2] Some species are cultivated in gardens for their aesthetic value, and blessed thistle is believed to be a galactagogue. Some common species: Cirsium lanceolatum, Cirsium palustre, Cirsium oleraceum.
The word 'Cirsium' derives from the Greek word kirsos, meaning 'swollen vein'. Thistles were used as a remedy against swollen veins.
Species
- Cirsium acarna - Soldier Thistle
- Cirsium acaule - Stemless Thistle, Dwarf Thistle
- Cirsium altissimum - Roadside Thistle, Tall Thistle
- Cirsium amblylepis - Mt. Tamalpais Thistle
- Cirsium andersonii - Anderson's Thistle, Rose Thistle
- Cirsium andrewsii - Franciscan Thistle
- Cirsium araneans - Jeweled Thistle
- Cirsium arcuum - Powderpuff Thistle
- Cirsium aridum - Desert Thistle
- Cirsium arizonicum - Arizona Thistle
- Cirsium arvense - Creeping Thistle, Field Thistle, Canada Thistle
- Cirsium arvense var.argenteum
- Cirsium arvense var. integrifolium
- Cirsium arvense var. mite
- Cirsium arvense var. vestitum
- Cirsium barnebyi - Barneby's Thistle
- Cirsium brachycephalum
- Cirsium brevifolium - Palouse Thistle
- Cirsium brevistylum - Clustered Thistle
- Cirsium calcareum - Cainville Thistle
- Cirsium californicum - California Thistle
- Cirsium callilepis - Fringebract Thistle
- Cirsium campylon - Mount Hamilton Thistle
- Cirsium canescens - Platte Thistle, Prairie Thistle
- Cirsium canovirens - Graygreen Thistle
- Cirsium canum - Queen Anne's Thistle
- Cirsium carolinianum - Carolina Thistle, Soft Thistle
- Cirsium caulescens
- Cirsium centaureae
- Cirsium chellyense - Queen Thistle
- Cirsium chuskaense - Monarch Thistle
- Cirsium ciliolatum - Ashland Thistle
- Cirsium clavatum - Lake Thistle
- Cirsium clokeyi - Charleston Mountain Thistle, Whitespine Thistle
- Cirsium congdonii - Rosette Thistle
- Cirsium costaricense
- Cirsium coulteri - Coulter’s Thistle
- Cirsium crassicaule - Slough Thistle
- Cirsium cymosum - Peregrine Thistle
- Cirsium diacanthum
- Cirsium discolor - Field Thistle, Pasture Thistle
- Cirsium douglasii - Thistle
- Cirsium drummondii - Dwarf Thistle
- Cirsium durangense
- Cirsium eatonii - Eaton's Thistle
- Cirsium edule - Edible Thistle
- Cirsium engelmannii - Engelmann Thistle, Engelmann's Thistle
- Cirsium eriophorum - Woolly Thistle
- Cirsium erisithales - Yellow Melancholy Thistle
- Cirsium esculentum
- Cirsium flodmanii - Flodman Thistle, Flodman's Thistle
- Cirsium foliosum - Drummond's Thistle, Elk Thistle, Leafy Thistle, Meadow Thistle
- Cirsium fontinale - Fountain Thistle
- Cirsium gilense - Gila Thistle
- Cirsium grahamii - Graham's Thistle
- Cirsium griseum - Gray Thistle
- Cirsium hallii - Hall's Thistle
- Cirsium helenioides - Melancholy Thistle, Common Melancholy Thistle
- Cirsium heterophyllum - Melancholy Thistle
- Cirsium hillii - Hill's Thistle
- Cirsium hookerianum - White Thistle
- Cirsium horridulum - Yellow Thistle
- Cirsium humboldtense - Humboldt County Thistle
- Cirsium hydrophilum - Suisun Thistle
- Cirsium hypoleucum
- Cirsium inornatum - Cloudcroft Thistle
- Cirsium japonicum - Japanese Thistle
- Cirsium kamtschaticum - Kamchatka Thistle
- Cirsium lanatum - Hairy Thistle
- Cirsium laterifolium - Porcupine Thistle
- Cirsium lecontei - Le Conte's Thistle
- Cirsium leo
- Cirsium libanoticum
- Cirsium loncholepis - LaGgraciosa Thistle
- Cirsium longistylum - Longstyle Thistle
- Cirsium maritimum
- Cirsium mendocinum - Mendocino Thistle
- Cirsium mexicanum - Mexican Thistle
- Cirsium modestum - Lacy Thistle
- Cirsium mohavense - Mojave Thistle
- Cirsium murdockii - Murdock's Thistle
- Cirsium muticum - Swamp Thistle
- Cirsium navajoense - Navajo Thistle
- Cirsium neomexicanum - Lavender Thistle, New Mexico Thistle
- Cirsium nipponicum
- Cirsium nuttallii - Nuttall's Thistle
- Cirsium occidentale -Cobweb Thistle
- Cirsium ochrocentrum - Yellowspine Thistle
- Cirsium oleraceum - Cabbage thistle
- Cirsium olivescens - Summer Thistle
- Cirsium oreophilum - Crow Thistle
- Cirsium osterhoutii - Osterhout's Thistle
- Cirsium ownbeyi - Ownbey's Thistle
- Cirsium pallidum - Pale Thistle
- Cirsium palustre - Marsh thistle, European Swamp Thistle
- Cirsium parryi - Parry's Thistle
- Cirsium pastoris - Snowy Thistle
- Cirsium peckii - Steen Mountain Thistle
- Cirsium pendulum
- Cirsium perplexans - Rocky Mountain Thistle
- Cirsium pitcheri - Pitcher's Thistle, Sand Dune Thistle
- Cirsium praeteriens - Palo Alto Thistle, Lost Thistle
- Cirsium proteanum - Red Thistle
- Cirsium pulcherrimum - Wyoming Thistle
- Cirsium pumilum - Pasture Thistle
- Cirsium pyrenaicum
- Cirsium quercetorum - Alameda County Thistle
- Cirsium remotifolium - Fewleaf Thistle
- Cirsium remotifolium var. remotifolium - Fewleaf Thistle
- Cirsium repandum - Sandhill Thistle
- Cirsium rhaphilepis
- Cirsium rhothophilum - Surf Thistle
- Cirsium rivulare
- Cirsium rothrockii - Rothrock's Thistle
- Cirsium rusbyi - Rusby's Thistle
- Cirsium rydbergii - Rydberg's Thistle
- Cirsium scabrum - Rough Thistle
- Cirsium scapanolepis - Mountain slope Thistle
- Cirsium scariosum - Meadow Thistle
- Cirsium scopulorum - Mountain Thistle
- Cirsium segetum
- Cirsium serrulatum
- Cirsium spinosissimum
- Cirsium subniveum - Gray Thistle, Jackson Hole Thistle
- Cirsium tanakae
- Cirsium texanum - Texas Thistle
- Cirsium tioganum - Stemless Thistle
- Cirsium turneri - Cliff Thistle
- Cirsium undulatum - Gray Thistle, Wavy-leaf Thistle, Wavyleaf Thistle
- Cirsium undulatum var. tracyi - Tracy's Thistle, Wavyleaf Thistle
- Cirsium undulatum var. undulatum - Wavyleaf Thistle
- Cirsium validus - Graceful Thistle
- Cirsium vernale - Spring Thistle
- Cirsium vinaceum - Sacramento Mountain Thistle, Sacramento Mountains Thistle
- Cirsium virginense - Virgin Thistle
- Cirsium virginianum - Virginia Thistle
- Cirsium vulgare - Spear Thistle, Bull Thistle, Common Thistle, Fuller's Thistle (syn. C. lanceolatum)
- Cirsium wheeleri - Wheeler Thistle, Wheeler's Thistle
- Cirsium wrightii - Wright Thistle, Wright's Thistle
- Hybrids
- Cirsium × canalense - Canal Thistle
- Cirsium × crassum - Thistle
- Cirsium × erosum - Glory Thistle
- Cirsium × iowense - Iowa Thistle
- Cirsium × vancouverense - Vancouver Thistle
References
- a b "Cirsium". Flora of North America.
- "PLANTS Profile for Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle) USDA PLANTS". USDA Plant Database. USDA (unknown). Retrieved on 2008-07-15.
Further reading
- Everitt, J.H.; Lonard, R.L., Little, C.R. (2007). Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 0-89672-614-2
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Cirsium". Image Credit.
