Spear thistle
Cirsium vulgare, Fam. Asteraceae
Erect robust spiny annual herb to 1.5m. Stems cottony hairy, furrowed with spiny wings that are a continuation of the leaf bases.
| Weed Category: |
Other invasive plants Invasive plants that are not prohibited or restricted invasive plants, but are known to spread readily and cause negative impacts, within the region.
|
| Weed: | Yes |
| Form or habit: | Herb |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Leaf: | Simple Basal Initially in a basal rosette, then alternate, dark green bristly above, white woolly below, ovate in outline up to 450 x 100mm, deeply lobed. Lobes and leaf tips ending in sharp spines. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Purple, Pink |
| Flower description: | Pinkish purple in fluffy terminal heads surrounded by spiny bracts, 30-50mm in diameter. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Grey |
| Fruit: | Dry |
| Fruit description: | ‘Seeds’ 3-5mm long, flat, smooth, grey with longitudinal darker markings, topped with numerous feather-like bristles 20-30mm long. |
| Habitat: | |
| Distribution | |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | |
| Origin: | Europe, Asia and Northern Africa |
| Notes: | Spread by: ‘seeds’ dispersed by wind, water or mud. Invades: common in crop and non-crop areas on fertile soils. Notes: not palatable to stock. Incorrectly called scotch thistle in Queensland. |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2018) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region Second Edition. |
