Slender Thistle
Carduus tenuiflorus
A single slender thistle plant can produce up to 20,000 seeds, each equipped with a fluffy pappus that allows them to ride the wind for miles.
- Scientific name
- Carduus tenuiflorus
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Carduus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Disturbed pastures, roadsides, fields, coastal dunes, and waste ground.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Western Europe, Mediterranean Basin, North America, Australia, South America
- Size
- Stems up to 1 to 2 meters tall, with flower heads 1 to 2 centimeters wide.
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years (annual or biennial)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Herbicide use, agricultural tilling, and biological control agents such as thistle-head weevils.
- Safe to approach?
- Defensive due to sharp spines. The plant is harmless to touch, but its spines can easily pierce skin and clothing. Keep a safe distance of 1 foot to avoid accidental pricking. If pricked, wash the area with soap and water, and use tweezers to remove any embedded spines.
Carduus tenuiflorus , known variously as slender-flower thistle , sheep thistle , shore thistle , slender thistle , winged plumeless thistle , winged slender thistle , and winged thistle ) is a species of thistle.
Photo: no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist
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