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wavyleaf thistle

Scientific Name: Cirsium undulatum

Family: Asteraceae

Category: Dicot

Growth: Forb/herb

Duration: Biennial, Perennial

Other Names:

       

Wavyleaf Thistle (Cirsium undulatum)

Cirsium undulatum, commonly known as wavyleaf thistle and gray thistle, is a native thistle found throughout much of central and western North America.

Considerations for Pets

  • This plant is a thistle, characterized by spiny involucral bracts.

Considerations for Children

  • This plant is a thistle, characterized by spiny involucral bracts.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Cirsium undulatum (Nutt.) Spreng.
  • Common Names: Wavyleaf thistle, gray thistle
  • Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)
  • Order: Asterales
  • Synonym: Carduus undulatus, Cirsium undulatum var. undulatum

Distribution and Habitat

  • Native to much of central and western North America.
  • Very common throughout western and central North America.
  • Prefers well-drained locations.

Ecological Role

  • Can become a weed of pasture and cropland.
  • Mentioned in the "Invasive Species Most Unwanted" list.
  • The text notes that climate did not significantly contribute to R. conicus damage to wavyleaf thistle.
  • Exotic thistle populations are likely to have indirect negative effects as flowerhead weevil feeding reduces seed production.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Erect stems, branched only in the upper parts.
  • Stems are stout, leafy, simple or sparingly branched, grooved, white-woolly.
  • Leaves are oblong, divided into wavy shallow lobes.
  • Leaves are alternate, crowded, simple, usually pinnately lobed, 4-12 inches long and deeply lobed.
  • Plants are erect with few branches and are densely covered with matted white hair.
  • Perennial from a simple taproot, sometimes creeping.
  • Stems are erect, branching, 1 to 3-1/2 feet tall, white wooly.

Growth Habits

  • Habit: native biennial or perennial herb.
  • Perennial, spreading by seed only.
  • Can grow to a height of 6 feet.

Interactions with other Organisms

  • Flower-feeding scarab beetles, Euphoria kerni, feed on the flowers of wavyleaf thistle. This beetle is thought to be a bee mimic.
  • Nectaring butterflies, bees, and wasps are drawn to the plant.
  • Green Sweat Bees have been observed on Wavyleaf Thistle.

Traditional Uses

  • Various Native American tribes used wavyleaf thistle.

Quirky Facts

  • The Euphoria kerni beetle, which feeds on the flowers, is thought to be a bee mimic.
  • Horses may eat the plant, but it generally has little or no forage value.