Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Cirsium vulgare

Flowering stem. Photographer Don Wood, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, ACT

Plant with flower buds. Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, western NSW

Rosette. Photographer Malcolm Storey, England

Common name

Spear thistle

Family

Asteraceae

Where found

Woodland, grassy areas, roadsides, and disturbed sites. Widespread.

Notes

Introduced biennial (occasionally annual) herb to 1.5 m tall.  Spiny leaf margins, stems, and flower heads. Stems winged, cobwebby. Leaves in a rosette at the base of the plant, later alternating up the stems, 4-35 cm long, to 100 mm wide, upper surface green and rough with small prickles, lower surface densely white hairy, margins toothed or the leaves divided.  Stem leaves similar to rosette leaves but smaller, with the bases continuing down the stems. Flower heads green, 20-40 mm long, 12-50 mm in diameter, bell-shaped or oval to almost globular, wih many pink to purple florets 25–35 mm long, 0 petals. Flower heads single or 2-4 together. Flowers Spring to Autumn.

General Biosecurity Duty all NSW. Noxious weed Vic.

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cirsium~vulgare (accessed 7 January, 2021)