Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Cirsium discolor
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
NEW! Click to go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Field Thistle at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cirsium discolor
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-25-005:
Carduus discolor
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
COMMON NAME:
Field Thistle
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cidi_001_lvd
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Stephanie C. Brundage scb_082021hayesville11
August Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
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JK Marlow jkm120920_983
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Pollinator at work.
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JK Marlow jkm120920_984
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_986
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Uppermost leaves just below the head, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians.
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JK Marlow jkm120920_988
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Involucres, from 1-1.5" long, have middle & outer bracts tipped with a spine, per Wildflowers of Tennessee.
COMPARE
involucral bracts of Thistles
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JK Marlow jkm120920_995
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_996
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Stem leafy, hairy, without wings, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians.
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_cirsium_discolor_6
September
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_cirsium_discolor_8
September
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JK Marlow jkm121006_387
October Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm121006_392
October Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Leaves villous to scabrous above, white tomentose beneath, margins revolute, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Cirsium discolor
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cirsium discolor
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-25-005:
Carduus discolor
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
2547
Forb
Biennial
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Habitat: Pastures, woodlands, thickets, per Weakley's Flora
NEW! Click here to see a map from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US showing range and abundance.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Leaf margins spiny
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Disc: Purplish-lavender
Rays: Absent
Bisexual
Inferior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast p393
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p284
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians p333
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p185