# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/7c25535b-855b-4e93-ac89-8695d7efbf9a
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/53007
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus tenuiflorus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/192157546/medium.jpeg (no rights reserved, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.