Cirsium horridulum

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Cirsium horridulum
Bristle Thistle.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. horridulum
Binomial name
Cirsium horridulum
Synonyms [1]
Synonymy
  • Carduus horridulusPers.
  • Carduus pinetorumSmall
  • Carduus spinosissimusWalter
  • Carduus vittatusSmall, syn of var. vittatum
  • Cirsium chrismarii(Klatt) Petr.
  • Cirsium pinetorum(Small) Small 1913 not Greenm. 1905
  • Cirsium vittatum(Small) Small, syn of var. vittatum
  • Cnicus chrismariiKlatt
  • Cnicus horridulus(Michx.) Pursh
  • Cirsium megacanthumNutt., syn of var. megacanthum
  • Carduus smallii(Britton) H.E.Ahles, syn of var. vittatum
  • Cirsium smalliiBritton, syn of var. vittatum

Cirsium horridulum, called bristly thistle, purple thistle, or yellow thistle is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. It is an annual or biennial. [2] The species is native to the eastern and southern United States from New England to Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma as well as to Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Bahamas. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859) described var. megacanthum as "one of the most terribly armed plants in the genus." [8] [9]

Early Flowering Stage Early Flowering Stage Cirsium horridulum.jpg
Early Flowering Stage

Description

Cirsium horridulum is a biennial herb up to 250 centimetres (100 in) tall, with a large taproot and fleshy side roots that sometimes sprout new shoots. Leaves are up to 40 centimetres (16 in) long with thick, sharp spines along the edges. There are usually several flower heads, also with sharp spines, each head with disc florets but no ray florets. Flower color varies from one plant to the next: white, yellow, pink, red or purple. [10]

Varieties [1] [10]

Conservation status in the United States

It is endangered in Connecticut, [11] New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. It is listed as threatened in Rhode Island. [2]

As a noxious weed

The Cirsium genus is listed as a noxious weed in Arkansas and Iowa. [2]

Native American ethnobotany

The Houma people make an infusion of the leaves and root of the plant in whiskey. They use it as both as an astringent, and drink it to clear phlegm from lungs and throat. They also eat the tender, white hearts of the plant raw. [12] The Seminole use the spines of the plant as darts for their blowguns. [13]

Ecology

C. horridulum is a facultative upland species that can grow in wetlands, but is usually found in non-wetland ecosystems. [14] Its seeds are cypsela that are dispersed by birds and wind. [15]

It is a larval host to the little metalmark and the painted lady butterflies. [16] Its flowers are popular for their nectar and pollen with butterflies and bumble bees. [16]

The leaf epidermis is enclosed by both an inner and outer cuticle, which helps minimize the risk of pathogens entering the plant. [17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Cirsium horridulum Michx. — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org.
  2. 1 2 3 "Plants Profile for Cirsium horridulum (yellow thistle)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map".
  4. ↑ Davidse, G., M. Sousa-Peña, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera. 2015. Asteraceae. 5(2): ined. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F.
  5. ↑ Carnevali, G., J. L. Tapia-Muñoz, R. Duno de Stefano & I. M. Ramírez Morillo. 2010. Flora Ilustrada de la Peninsula Yucatán: Listado Florístico 1–326
  6. ↑ Nelson, C. H. 2008. Cat. Pl. Vasc. Honduras 1–1576. Secretaria de Recursos Naturales y Ambiente, Tegucigalpa
  7. ↑ Nash, D. L. 1976. Tribe IX, Cynareae. En: Nash, D.L. & Williams, L.O. (eds), Flora of Guatemala - Part XII. Fieldiana, Bot. 24(12): 423–428, 590
  8. ↑ Nuttall quoted in Flora of North America, Bigspine thistle, Cirsium horridulum Michaux var. megacanthum (Nuttall) D. J. Keil
  9. ↑ Nuttall, Thomas 1841. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series 7: 421 as Cirsium megacanthum
  10. 1 2 "Cirsium horridulum in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org.
  11. ↑ "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 12 January 2018. (Note: This list is newer than the one used by plants.usda.gov and is more up-to-date.)
  12. ↑ Speck, Frank G., 1941, "A List of Plant Curatives Obtained From the Houma Indians of Louisiana", Primitive Man 14:49-75, page 57
  13. ↑ Sturtevant, William, 1954, The Mikasuki Seminole: Medical Beliefs and Practices, Yale University, PhD Thesis, page 507
  14. ↑ USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 5 April 2019). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
  15. ↑ Encyclopedia of Life. Accessed: April 14, 2016
  16. 1 2 The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
  17. ↑ Pesacreta, T. C. and K. H. Hasenstein (1999). "The Internal Cuticle of Cirsium horridulum (Asteraceae) Leaves." American Journal of Botany 86(7): 923-928.
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