Cirsium vulgare is a tall, biennial or short-lived monocarpic Thistle, forming a rosette of leaves and a taproot up to 28 inches (70 cm) long in the first year, and a flowering stem up to 5 feet (1.5 m) tall in the second (rarely third or fourth) year. The erect plant stands around 2 to 5 feet tall on rigid, hairy, branched stems that usually die back during winter. You should keep any native thistles - they are excellent pollinator plants! Montana has 12 species of Cirsium, and only 5 are described below. Description. Growth habit: erect biennial with a taproot. Bull thistle, Cirsium vulgare. Ascalea lanceolata. Journal of Ecology. It can invade almost any type of disturbed areas and forms dense thickets that crowd out native plants. A hot infusion of the whole plant has been used as a herbal steam for treating rheumatic joints. Photographer: Steve Dewey, Source: Utah State University, Bugwood.org Description. Cirsium vulgare Bull thistle. Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten. Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare Aster family (Asteraceae) Description: This plant is an obligatory biennial that forms a rosette of leaves during the first year, and bolts upward during the second year to produce flowers. 81: 177-191. Family: ... Synonyms: Cirsium lanceolatum Other names: Nomenclature: vulgare = common, ordinary Nativity / Invasiveness: introduced plant, weed: Edible plant: Medicinal plant: Description General: plant 30-150 cm tall. Bull Thistle. It was introduced from Europe and has naturalized in most of North America. Bull Thistle is a biennial that forms a rosette of leaves the first year and sends up a flowering stem the second year. The bracts and overall prickliness of the plant will tell you if it's a native or not - the non-native thistles are usually painfully prickly. Description Top of page C. vulgare is a biennial, or occasionally a monocarpic perennial (Grime et al., 1988).The seedling is hairy and produces numerous spines. It forms occasional side stems, but remains erect in stature, reaching 3-6' in height. A thistle that tall is actually more likely to be a native, perhaps Cirsium discolor. Cirsium vulgare (syns. Latin name: Cirsium vulgare Synonyms: Carduus lanceolatus, Cirsium lanceolatum Family: Compositae Medicinal use of Common Thistle: The roots have been used as a poultice and a decoction of the plant used as a poultice on sore jaws. Mitich, Larry W. 1998. Bull Thistle – Cirsium vulgare, exotic and undesirable * Flower heads are mostly single at stem tips and arranged in an open inflorescence. Carduus lanceolatus. Synonym(s): Carduus lanceolatus, Carduus vulgaris, Cirsium lanceolatum Family: Asteraceae (Aster Family) Duration and Habit: Biennial Herb. Bull thistle is a biennial, and sometimes annual or monocarpic perennial, forb. * Flower heads have involucres more than 2 cm tall [examine larger heads]. [20980] 106. Description: Bull thistle is a tall, prickly biennial with spiny flowers. A detailed description of reproductive and vegetative biology of bull thistle in New Zealand is provided by ... De Jong, Tom J. Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten. Classification: Cirsium vulgare Geographic Location: Pacific and western states Description: It is a tall biennial thistle, forming a rosette of leaves and a taproot up to 70 cm long in the first year, and a flowering stem 1–1.5 m tall in the second year.The stem is winged, with numerous longitudinal spine-tipped wings along its full length. It has a short hypocotyl and no epicotyl (Hyde-Wyatt and Morris, 1980).In the first year, a basal rosette is formed that may be up to 65 cm in diameter, the leaves of which are elliptical in shape, spiny and coarsely toothed. 1993. Description. : (Carduus lanceolatus L., Cirsium lanceolatum (L.) Scop., non Hill). And sends up a flowering stem cirsium vulgare description second year and undesirable * Flower heads have more. 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