Agronomy 517

Spring Semester 2000

4.14.00

References: Literature Cited

Outline for Cirsium vulgare(Savi)Ten.

Prepared by Brad Atchison

II.scientific name Cirsium vulgare(Savi)Ten.

1.Bull Thistle

2.Spear Thistle

3.Scotch Thistle

B. Origin/History

a. Eurasia (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

b. introduced to N.America during colonial period (Moore and Frankton,1975)

a. Europe, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Western Asia, Armenia,Iran (Moore and Frankton,1975), New Zealand ,Australia and Chile (Douchet and Cavers,1905)

b. throughout the United States and Canada (Moore and Frankton,1975, USDA,1999)

c. BullDistribution.htm Map Here

a. rangeland, pastures, meadows, less common in prairies

b. abandoned fields, gardens

c. roadsides, waste areas and disturbed sites (Moore and Frankton,1975, Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

d. less common in crop fields, does not withstand cultivation

1.Growth habit

a. biennial

b. herbaceous forb

c. 0.5-2 m tall 

d. reproduces by seed only (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

2.Leaves

a. 12-30 cm long,3-15 cm wide

b. margins entire to pinnately lobed

c. lobes tipped with long spines

d. hairless (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

3. Inflorescence

a. flowers are dark purple to pinkish purple, rarely white

b. flowers perfect 

c. involucres spined

4. Seeds

a. achene 3-4 mm long, 1.3-1.6 mm wide

b. one seed/achene

c. pappus 1.5-2.8 cm long for wind dispersal (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

d. seed number estimated as 18,800/ 1m tall plant (Michaux,1989)

e. seeds may persist if shaded or buried deeply (Douchet and Cavers,1995)

5. Root system

a. taproot

b. fleshy (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

6. Genetic structure

a. 2n=68 (Moore and Frankton,1975)

b. 2n=102 (Michaux, 1989)

G. Economic importance