Scotch
Thistle - Onopordum acanthium
Family: Asteraceae
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Description
Scotch thistle is a cottony pubescent biennial herb. The leaves are alternate,
simple, and net-veined. The blades have pinnate major veins, and the margins
are spiny tipped on lobes or teeth. The heads are in a flat-topped aggregation
(corymb-like) and terminal. The flowers are disk only, purple, and perfect.
The fruit is an achene with a pappus of bristles.
Interesting facts
Plants grow in cultivated fields, waste areas, and often in the edges
of forests. It is a "sticky", drought-resistant plant that can
reproduce by seeds.
The sticky and seed-producing habits allow scotch thistle to choke out
cultivated crops in fields and native species in other areas. Its drought-resistant
characteristic makes it difficult to eradicate.
Links to more information
Website, video, and graphics by Rob Nelson
For more information on this plant or management please contact US Army Corp of Engineers
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