Scientific Name:
Cirsium vulgare
Pronunciation:
SUR-see-um vull-GAIR-ee
Common Name:
bull thistle
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Biennial, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Biennial that forms a taproot and has spiny wings up the length of its stem; leaves are stoutly spined, grey-green, deeply lobed basal leaves up to 15–25cm long, with smaller leaves on the upper part of the flower stem; the leaf lobes are spear-shaped; heads 2.5–5cm wide, florets appear all the same.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa, Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Landscape Uses:
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to C. arvense.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Prickly, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Aristate
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Spinose
Additional Info:
basal leaves up to 15–25cm long, with smaller leaves on the upper part of the flower stem
Inflorescence Type:
Head (capitulum)
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Purple, Pink
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
disc florets only - appear all the same
Fruit Type:
Cypsela (achene + calyx)
Fruit Colour:
White, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Bark Morphology:
Other
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Prickles, Storage tap root
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
