Agronomy 517

Spring Semester 2000

4.14.00

References: Literature Cited

Outline for Carduus nutans L. 

Prepared by Brad Atchison

V. scientific name Carduus nutans L.

1. Common names

1. Musk Thistle

2. Nodding Thistle

3. Nodding Plumeless Thistle

a. Eurasia (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

b. First collected in United States in 1852 (McCarty,1982)

a. throughout United States except Florida (USDA,1999)

b. widespread in Canada (Moore and Frankton,1975)

c. MuskDistribution.htp Map Here

 D. Habitat

a. pastures, rangeland

b. open forests

c. fertile lowland areas (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

d. waste areas, roadsides

e. often in dry, well-drained, sandy and rocky soils (Moore and Frankton,1975)

1.Growth habit

a. biennial, sometimes annual(McCarty,1982)sometimes perennial(USDA,1999)

b. herbaceous forb

c. 0.5-3 m tall

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

2.Leaves

a. 5-25 cm long, 1.5-9 cm wide

b. margins deeply serrate to pinnately lobed

c. margins have spines

3. Inflorescence

a. perfect flowers, capable of self fertilization (McCarty,1982) 

b. reddish-purple to white

c. heads are solitary and terminal

d. involucural bracts long and wide, very conspicuous

e. Heads are globe shaped 3-7 cm in diameter (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

4. Seeds

a. achenes average 3.5 mm long, 1.5 wide (Moore and Frankton,1975)

b. pappus 2 cm long for wind dispersal

c. achenes single-seeded

d. average almost 10,000/ plant(McCarty,1982)

c. innate dormancy prevent germination until spring, almost all seeds germinate after vernalization (Roberts and Chancellor,1979)

d. seeds mature in seed heads even after they are cut off the plant (Stubbendiek et al ,1994)

5. Genetic structure

a. 2n=16 (Moore and Frankton,1975)

 G. Economic importance