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Photo by Richard Old | www.xidservices.com
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Photo by Richard Old | www.xidservices.com
Photo by Richard Old | www.xidservices.com
bull thistle
Cirsium vulgare
Weed Characteristics
Other Names: common thistle, spear thistle, bell thistle, bank thistle
Leaf Type: Broadleaf
Flowers: Pink, gumdrop-shaped with spiny bracts
Leaves: Long and pointed with irregular edges; some hair
Life Cycle: Biennial
Rough, scratchy leaves have deep lobes and sharp, stiff spines. Spines are also on stems. Young plants have a low, rosette of leaves. Classic tufted thistle flowers have a pear-shaped base of sharp spines. Grows 2 to 5 ft. tall, developing a thick taproot in its first year. Found in uncultivated land in Northern midwestern states.
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