Cirsium eriophorum

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Cirsium eriophorum
Cirsium eriophorum01.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cirsium
Species:
C. eriophorum
Binomial name
Cirsium eriophorum
Synonyms [1]
Synonymy
  • Carduus eriophorusL.
  • Carduus spuriusL.
  • Carthamus feroxLam.
  • Cirsium chatenieriLegrand
  • Cirsium chodatii Barb.-Gamp.
  • Cirsium dinaricumVandas
  • Cirsium eriocephalumWallr.
  • Cirsium insubricumMoretti ex Bertol.
  • Cirsium oviformeGand.
  • Cirsium proponticumGriseb.
  • Cirsium vandasiiPetr.
  • Cirsium velenowskyiVandas
  • Cnicus cinaroidesSm.
  • Cnicus eriophorus(L.) Roth
  • Cnicus spinosissimusM.Bieb.
  • Epitrachys proponticaK.Koch

Cirsium eriophorum, the woolly thistle, [2] is a herbaceous biennial species of flowering plant in the genus Cirsium of the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Europe. It is a large biennial plant with sharp spines on the tips of the leaves, and long, woolly hairs on much of the foliage. The flower heads are large and nearly spherical, with spines on the outside and many purple disc florets but no ray florets. [3] [4]

Contents

Flower head of C. eriophorum in Kozara National Park, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Cirsium eriophorum (Kozara National Park, Republika Srpska).jpg
Flower head of C. eriophorum in Kozara National Park, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Description

A tall, biennial plant, C. eriophorum reaches heights of 50 to 150 cm (20 to 60 in). The strong, branched stem is densely woolly hairy but has no wings. The stiff leaves are usually pinnate with strong, yellow spines; the lowest leaves are up to 80 cm (30 in) long. The leaf margins are rolled over and the underside of the leaf is felted with white hair. The inflorescence is cymose with a few large flowers with a diameter of up to 7 cm (3 in). These are globular and densely covered with woolly hair. They contain many tubular florets, with long purple tubes and purple stamens, each with a spiny bract covered with white wool through which a spine projects. [2] [5] The flowers are rich in nectar and attract bees, flies, beetles, butterflies and moths. [6]

Distribution and habitat

Cirsium eriophorum has a Central and Western Europe distribution. Its range extends from Upper Volga and the Balkans to the Netherlands, France and Britain. [6] It typically grows in grassland, scrubland and open woodland on chalk, limestone or alkaline clay soils, including the disturbed ground caused by quarrying. In Britain, it grows up to about 310 m (1,000 ft) and is largely confined to central and southern England. [7]

Uses

The young leaves of C. eriophorum can be eaten raw, and the young stems can be peeled and eaten raw or cooked, after being soaked in water to remove their bitterness. The flower buds can be used in a similar way to artichokes but smaller, and an edible oil can be extracted from the seeds. The pappus can be used as tinder for lighting fires. [6]

The plant is hardy and can be easily grown in a sunny position in the garden, in a wildflower meadow or in dappled shade in a woodland garden. It flowers between July and September. [6]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Cirsium palustre</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Cirsium palustre, the marsh thistle or European swamp thistle, is a herbaceous biennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.

<i>Cirsium arvense</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Cirsium neomexicanum</i> Species of thistle

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<i>Cirsium occidentale</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium occidentale, with the common name cobweb thistle or cobwebby thistle, is a North American species of thistle in the family Asteraceae.

<i>Cirsium spinosissimum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium spinosissimum, common name spiniest thistle, is a European species of thistle which grows in dry rocky areas. It is found in France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Balkans.

<i>Cirsium discolor</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium discolor, the field thistle, is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. It is native to thirty-three states in the United States as well four Canadian provinces. It occurs across much of eastern and central Canada as well as eastern and central United States. It has been found from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan and south as far as Texas and Georgia.

<i>Cirsium rhothophilum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium rhothophilum is a rare North American species of thistle known by the common name surf thistle. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the coastline around the border between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. It grows in sand dunes and coastal scrub near the beach.

<i>Cirsium scariosum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium scariosum is a species of thistle known by the common names meadow thistle, elk thistle and dwarf thistle. It is native to much of western North America from Alberta and British Columbia, south to Baja California. There are also isolated populations on the Canadian Atlantic Coast, on the Mingan Archipelago in Québec, where it is called the Mingan thistle.

<i>Cirsium altissimum</i> Species of plant

Cirsium altissimum is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. Common names are tall thistle or roadside thistle. The species is native to the eastern and Central United States.

Cirsium brevifolium is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. Common name is Palouse thistle. The species is native to the northwestern United States, in the States of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The plant is particularly common in the Palouse Prairie near Pullman, Washington.

Cirsium carolinianum is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. Common name is Carolina thistle or purple thistle or soft thistle or smallhead thistle. The species is native to the central and southern United States, from eastern Texas east to Virginia and the Carolinas, north to the Ohio Valley.

Cirsium grahamii, called Graham's thistle, is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. The species is native to Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Nuevo León, New Mexico, and Arizona.

<i>Cirsium helenioides</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium helenioides, the melancholy thistle, is an Asian and Arctic species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. The species is native to Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan.

<i>Cirsium hookerianum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium hookerianum, common name Hooker's thistle or white thistle, is a North American species of thistle native to western Canada and the northwestern United States. It is found in the northern Rocky Mountains as well as in some of the northern Cascades and Coast Ranges, in Alberta, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Cirsium longistylum, the long-style thistle, is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. The species is found only in the central part of the State of Montana in the United States, in the portions of the Rocky Mountains called the Big Belt, Castle, Elkhorn, and Little Belt ranges.

Cirsium nuttallii, called Nuttall's thistle, is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. The species is native to the coastal plain of the southeastern and south-central United States, from eastern Texas to southeastern Virginia.

<i>Cirsium texanum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium texanum is a species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae found in North America. Common names include Texas thistle, Texas purple thistle or southern thistle. The species is native to northern Mexico and the southern Great Plains of the south-central United States.

Cirsium turneri is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. Common names include cliff thistle. The species grows in crevices in limestone cliffs in northern Mexico and western Texas.

Cirsium wheeleri is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. Common names include Wheeler's thistle. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

References

  1. ↑ The Plant List, Cirsium eriophorum (L.) Scop.
  2. 1 2 "Woolly thistle". The Wildlife Trusts. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Tofts, R. (1999). "Cirsium eriophorum (L.) Scop. (Carduus eriophorus L.; Cnicus eriophorus (L.) Roth)". Journal of Ecology. 87 (3): 529–542. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00369.x . ISSN   1365-2745.
  4. ↑ "Cirsium eriophorum [Cardo lanoso] – Flora Italiana". luirig.altervista.org. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Oberdorfer, Erich (2001). Pflanzensoziologische Exkursionsflora für Deutschland und angrenzende Gebiete. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart. ISBN   3-8001-3131-5.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Cirsium eriophorum". Plants For A Future. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "Cirsium eriophorum". Online Atlas of the British and Irish flora. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
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