Cirsium arvense
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Cirsium Species: C. arvense
Binomial name
Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.

A Creeping Thistle with a "cuckoo split".

Cirsium arvense is a species of Cirsium, native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is Creeping Thistle.^[1][2][3] A number of other names have been used in the past or in other areas (see below). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 484 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1614 × 2000 pixel, file size: 1. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class of flowering plants. ... Families Alseuosmiaceae Argophyllaceae Asteraceae - Daisies Calyceraceae Campanulaceae (incl. ... Diversity About 1500 genera and 23,000 species Type Genus Aster L. Subfamilies Barnadesioideae Cichorioideae Tribe Arctotidae Tribe Cardueae Tribe Eremothamneae Tribe Lactuceae Tribe Liabeae Tribe Mutisieae Tribe Tarchonantheae Tribe Vernonieae Asteroideae Tribe Anthemideae Tribe Astereae Tribe Calenduleae Tribe Eupatorieae Tribe Gnaphalieae Tribe Helenieae Tribe Heliantheae Tribe Inuleae Tribe Plucheae... Species See text. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (June 3, 1723 - May 8, 1788) was an Italian-Austrian physician and naturalist. ... Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 832 KB)A thistle with cuckoo spit near the base of the bud. ... Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 832 KB)A thistle with cuckoo spit near the base of the bud. ... Species See text. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ...

It is a tall herbaceous perennial plant, forming extensive clonal colonies from an underground root system that sends up numerous erect stems each spring, reaching 1–1.2 m tall (occasionally more); the stems often lie partly flat by summer but can stay erect if supported by other vegetation. The leaves are very spiny, lobed, up to 15–20 cm long and 2–3 cm broad (smaller on the upper part of the flower stem). The inflorescence is 1–2.2 cm diameter, pink-purple, with all the florets of similar form (no division into disc and ray florets). The flowers are usually dioecious, but not invariably so, with some plants bearing hermaphrodite flowers. The seeds are 4–5 mm long, with a feathery pappus which assists in wind dispersal.^[3][4][5] This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... A clonal colony is a group of plants (or fungi) that have grown in a given location, all originating vegetatively, not sexually, from a given single ancestor. ... For other uses, see Root (disambiguation). ... Look up foliage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Red clover inflorescence (spike) An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers on a branch of a plant. ... Close-up of an Echinopsis spachiana flower, showing both carpels and stamen, making it a complete flower. ... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ...

There are two varieties: ^[3] In botanical nomenclature, variety is a rank below that of species: As such, it gets a ternary name (a name in three parts). ...

• Cirsium arvense var. arvense. Most of Europe. Leaves hairless or thinly hairy beneath.
• Cirsium arvense var. incanum (Fisch.) Ledeb. Southern Europe. Leaves thickly hairy beneath.

Ecology

A Goldfinch feeding on Creeping Thistle seeds

The seeds are an important food for Goldfinch and Linnet, and to a lesser extent for other finches.^[6] Creeping Thistle foliage is used as a food by over 20 species of Lepidoptera, including the Painted Lady butterfly, and the Engrailed, a species of moth, and several species of aphids.^[7][8][9] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (992x765, 221 KB) Carduelis carduelis - photo MPF St Marys Wetland, Whitley Bay, Northumberland, UK; 8 August 2005 File links The following pages link to this file: European Goldfinch ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (992x765, 221 KB) Carduelis carduelis - photo MPF St Marys Wetland, Whitley Bay, Northumberland, UK; 8 August 2005 File links The following pages link to this file: European Goldfinch ... Binomial name Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) Carduelis carduelis carduelis 1 summer 2 all year Carduelis carduelis caniceps 3 summer 4 all year The Goldfinch or European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. ... Binomial name Carduelis cannabina (Linnaeus, 1758) The Linnet, Carduelis cannabina, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Genera Many, see text Finches are passerine birds, often seed-eating, found chiefly in the northern hemisphere and Africa. ... The order Lepidoptera is the second most speciose order in the class Insecta and includes the butterflies, moths and skippers. ... This article is about the butterfly. ... Binomial name Ectropis crepuscularia Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 The Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia) is a moth of the family Geometridae. ... A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ... Families There are 10 families: Adelgidae Anoeciidae Aphididae Drepanosiphidae Homomasagymibutae Greenideidae Hormaphididae Lachnidae Mindaridae Pemphigidae Phloeomyzidae Phylloxeridae Thelaxidae Aphids, also known as greenfly, blackfly or plant lice, are minute plant-feeding insects in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the homopterous division of the order Hemiptera. ...

Status as a weed

The species is widely considered a weed even where it is native, for example being designated an "injurious weed" under the UK Weeds Act 1959.^[10] It is also a serious invasive species in many additional regions where it has been introduced, usually accidentally as a contaminant in cereal crop seeds. It is cited as a noxious weed in several countries; for example Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Many countries regulate this plant, or its parts (i.e., seed) as a contaminant of other imported products such as grains for consumption or seeds for propagation. In Canada, Cirsium arvense is classified as a primary noxious weed seed in the Weed Seeds Order 2005 which applies to Canada's Seeds Regulations.^[11] Yellow starthistle, a thistle native to southern Europe and the Middle East that is an invasive weed in parts of North America. ... Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ... This article is about cereals in general. ... Yellow starthistle, a thistle native to southern Europe and the Middle East that is an invasive weed in parts of North America. ...

Uses

Like other Cirsium species, the roots are edible, though rarely used, not least due to their propensity to induce flatulence in some people. The taproot is considered the most nutritious. The leaves are also edible, though the spines make their preparation for food too tedious to be worth eating.^[12] Flatulence (expelled through the anus in a process commonly known as farting or emitting gas) is the presence of a mixture of gases known as flatus in the digestive tract of mammals. ... This article is about the plant root system. ...

Other names

Other names include Canada Thistle, California Thistle, Corn Thistle, Cursed Thistle, Field Thistle, Green Thistle, Hard Thistle, Perennial Thistle, Prickly Thistle, Small-flowered Thistle, and Way Thistle. The first of these is in wide use in North America, despite being a misleading name wrongly indicating its apparent origin (it is not a native of Canada).^[13]

References

Wikibooks has more information about Cirsium arvense in A Wikimanual of Gardening.

Wikiversity has bloom time data for Cirsium arvense on the Bloom Clock

1. ^ Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Cirsium arvense
2. ^ Botanical Society of the British Isles Database
3. ^ ^{a b c} Flora of Northwest Europe: Cirsium arvense
4. ^ Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
5. ^ Kay, Q. O. N. (1985). Hermaphrodites and subhermaphrodites in a reputedly dioecious plant, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. New Phytol. 100: 457-472. Available online (pdf file).
6. ^ Cramp, S., & Perrins, C. M. (1994). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. VIII: Crows to Finches. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
7. ^ Finnish Lepidoptera Cirsium arvense
8. ^ The Ecology of Commanster: Cirsium arvense
9. ^ Ecological Flora of the British Isles: Phytophagous Insects for Cirsium arvense
10. ^ DEFRA: Identification of injurious weeds
11. ^ Canada Gazette: Weed Seeds Order 2005
12. ^ Plants for a Future: Cirsium arvense
13. ^ Invasive and Problem Plants of the United States: Cirsium arvense

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