SPEAR THISTLE

Class: Cirsium vulgare

Family: ASTER FAMILY

Sub Family: Asteraceae, Compositae

Year: Biennial

Other Names: Common Thistle, Bur Thistle, Bull Thistle

Colour: Rose-purple

Height: 60 cm-1.5 m (2-5')

Each Flower: Up to 4 cm (1 1/2") across, consisting of dense, spreading tuft of very narrow ray-flowers; large-based almost conical involucre may be over 2.5 cm (1") long with many green, spiny bracts

Leaves: May be up to 20 cm (8") long, dissected into pointed lobes with sharp, yellowish spines at tips; upper surfaces have short prickles; bases of leaves narrow, forming spiny wings down either side of stem; basal leaves in rosette

Stems: Tough, rigid, and downy

Blooming Period: July - September

Habitat: Roadsides, waste places, and fields

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