Spear thistle

Cirsium vulgare

family

Asteraceae

origin

Exotic

declaration

NIL

NIL

For information only

Common names

Bank thistle, Bird thistle, Black thistle, Blue thistle, Boar thistle, Bull thistle, Bur thistle, Button thistle, Common bull thistle, Fuller's thistle, Green thistle, Plume thistle, Roadside thistle, Scotch thistle, Spear thistle.

A short-lived herbaceous plant usually growing 60 to 120 cm tall, but sometimes reaching up to 2 m in height. Its forms a basal rosette of leaves at first, followed by upright and much-branched stems. Its stems are spiny, winged, and usually have a covering of woolly white hairs. Its leaves (up to 45 cm long and 10 cm wide) are usually deeply lobed, with their margins armed with spines. Its purpish flower-heads (3-5 cm across) are enclosed in numerous spiny bracts. Its greyish or light brown 'seeds' (2.5-4 mm long) are initially topped with a ring of whitish feathery bristles (8-25 mm long).

Leaf arrangement:Simple
Leaf form:Basal
Purple
Green

Impact

Impact

"Though this species is primarily a weed of pastures, crops, waste areas and roadsides, it sometimes spreads from these areas into disturbed native grasslands, open woodlands and conservation areas. However, it is not a serious environmental weed in south-eastern Queensland., Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is regarded as an environmental weed in parts of south-eastern Australia (i.e. Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales)."

Location

Location

Characteristics

Characteristics

Similar Species

Similar Species

Control Methods