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Cirsium arvense

(Californian Thistle)

Overview

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Herb. Cirsium arvense is an herbaceous perennial in the aster family . It occurs in nearly every upland herbaceous community within its range , and is a particular threat in grassland communities and riparian habitats . C. arvense is shade intolerant and can tolerate soils with up to 2% salt content . It grows on all but waterlogged, poorly aerated soils, including clay , clay loam, silt loam , sandy loam, sandy clay, sand dunes, gravel , limestone, and chalk , but not peat. It spreads primarily by vegetative means, and secondarily by seed. The seeds spread as a contaminant in agricultural seeds in hay and in cattle and horse droppings and on farm machinery. It produces an abundance of bristly-plumed seeds that are easily dispersed by the wind and they may also be transported by water. Nuzzo (1997) reports that American Indians purportedly used an infusion of C. arvense roots for mouth diseases. The Chippewa considered it to be a "tonic, diuretic, and astringent". Young shoots and roots "can be used in the same ways as asparagus," and were eaten in Russia and by Native Americans. The nectar of its flowers is also said to make good honey. Zouhar (2001) reports that the weed has been used by native people in the northeastern United States in remedies for worms and poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and was used to make a mouthwash for children, a treatment for tuberculosis, and a tonic for gastrointestinal ailments.

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Californian Thistle, California Thistle, Canada Thistle, Canadian Thistle, Corn Thistle, Creeping Thistle, Field Thistle, Perennial Thistle

Common Names in French:

Chardon Des Champs, Chardon Du Canada, Cirse Des Champs

Common Names in Portuguese:

Cardo, Cardo-Canadense

Description

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Genus Cirsium

Annuals , biennials, or perennials , 5-400 cm, spiny . Stems (1-several) erect , branched or simple , sometimes narrowly spiny-winged. Leaves basal and cauline; finely bristly-dentate to coarsely dentate or 1-3 times pinnately lobed , teeth and lobes bristly-tipped, faces green and glabrous or densely gray-canescent, usually eglandular . Heads discoid , borne singly, terminal and in distal axils, or in racemiform , spiciform , subcapitate , paniculiform , or corymbiform arrays. ( Peduncles with ± reduced leaflike bracts.) Involucres cylindric to ovoid or spheric, (1-6 ×) 1-8 cm. Phyllaries many in 5-20 series, subequal or weakly to strongly, outer and middle with bases appressed and apices spreading to erect, usually spine-tipped, innermost usually with erect, flat, often twisted, entire or dentate, usually spineless apices (distal portion of phyllary midveins in many species with elongate , glutinous resin gland , usually milky in fresh material but dark brown to black when dry) . Receptacles flat to convex , epaleate, covered with tawny to white bristles or setiform scales . Florets 25-200+; corollas white to pink, red, yellow or purple, ± bilateral , tubes long, slender, distally bent, throats short, abruptly expanded. cylindric, lobes linear ; (filaments distinct ) anther bases sharply short-tailed, apical appendages linear-oblong; style tips elongate (as measured in descriptions including the slightly swollen nodes, long cylindric fused portions of style branches and very short distinct portions) . Cypselae ovoid, ± compressed , with apical rims, smooth , not ribbed , glabrous, basal attachment scars slightly angled ; pappi persistent or falling in rings , in 3-5 series of many flattened, plumose bristles or plumose, setiform scales (longer bristles shorter than corollas except in C. foliosum and C. arvense) . x = 17.

Species ca. 200: North America, Eurasia , n Africa.

Only three genera in Cynareae are represented by native species in the New World, and of these Cirsium is by far the most widely distributed and diverse . Native species of Cirsium range from sea level to alpine and from boreal regions of Canada to the tropics of Central America. Members of the genus occur in a myriad of habitats including swamps , meadows, forests , prairies, sand dunes, and deserts.

Preliminary molecular phylogenetic studies by D. G. Kelch and B . G. Baldwin (2003) indicated that this diversity is the product of a rapid evolutionary diversification based upon a single initial introduction from Eurasia. Relationships among the North American species are apparently complex , and molecular studies have only begun to provide an outline of phylogeny for these plants . Although there has been a remarkable evolutionary and morphologic diversification in North American Cirsium, it has not been accompanied by very much divergence in the base sequences of genes commonly used to elucidate phylogenetic relationships. This suggests either that the diversification has been very rapid or that genetic markers in North American Cirsium mutate more slowly than in most other lineages .

Chromosomal diversification has accompanied the morphologic radiation of North American Cirsium. Many New World Cirsium species share the chromosomal base number of x = 17 that also predominates in most Eurasian species. Among the North American thistles, however, is a mostly descending dysploid series with chromosome numbers ranging from n = 18 to n = 10. Very few instances of polyploidy are known among New World Cirsium.

Cirsium species of remarkably different morphologies often are able to hybridize . Although in some hybrid combinations fertility is reduced, in others the formation of complex hybrid swarms indicates a lack of breeding barriers and the potential for emergence of novel character combinations. In the absence of adequate sampling and field observations, hybrids may go unrecognized, treated as distinct taxa or as variants of non-hybrid taxa, or left occupying the indeterminate folders of herbaria. In other cases hybridization has been invoked without much evidence as an explanation for Cirsium variants encountered in herbaria or in the field. Hybrid combinations are listed herein when evidence is convincing. Additional hybrids are likely to be found where the ranges of Cirsium species overlap. I have seen no documentation of hybridization between native American Cirsium species and introduced Eurasian taxa.

Much of the geographic range currently occupied by New World Cirsium species was greatly affected by the events of the Quaternary . Large areas were glaciated and other areas were vastly different during glacial episodes. The ancestors of thistles that currently occupy the high mountains of western North America were undoubtedly displaced elevationally and/or latitudinally during the recurrent glacial and interglacial episodes of the Pleistocene . Taxa that are currently isolated may have been in contact during glacial episodes with the opportunity for hybridization and genetic interchange. Episodes of prehistoric hybridization may have led to some of the character combinations found in modern American thistles, particularly in the western half of the continent. Current isolation and localized selection or genetic drift apparently have promoted differentiation of populations separated on mountaintop islands.

One of the most challenging aspects for a taxonomist studying New World Cirsium is the presence of species complexes that are apparently evolutionary works in progress. Some of the thistles, especially in the mountainous western part of North America, are frustratingly polymorphic with much overlapping variability and intergradation of characters. Early taxonomists, basing their work on a limited sampling of the morphologic diversity, named many of the forms as species, and the literature is rife with species names . The infilling that results from more collectors visiting more localities within the ranges of these complexes has blurred the boundaries between many of the proposed species and often added forms that do not "fit" the characteristics of named species. As I faced the challenges of preparing this treatment, I recognized that maintaining some of the named entities as species would, for consistency, require a further proliferation of species names. I have chosen to go the other way. Instead of proposing yet more ill-defined microspecies, I have chosen to recognize that the groups in question are rapidly evolving, only partially differentiated assemblages of races that have not reached the level of stability that is usually associated with the concept of species. Certainly much of such variation within the genus deserves a level of taxonomic recognition, or at least should be mentioned, but for those assemblages I think it much more prudent to recognize varieties -- entities that may be expected to freely intergrade -- rather than species.

Many problems remain to be worked out in North American Cirsium. Further investigation will undoubtedly reveal the need for refinement or major revision within some of the species groups. Studies that focus on variation within and among populations and on the biological basis for the variations are much needed. The field is open and the challenges are many.

Preparation of a workable key to Cirsium species has been frustratingly difficult. Extensive and overlapping ranges of variation in morphologic characteristics often require that a species be keyed two or more times. The resulting key is longer and more complex than I would prefer, and I have no doubt ignored, overlooked, or been completely unaware of variants that will not key out. Caveat clavitor!

The reputation of Cirsium has suffered greatly as a result of the introduction to North America of a few invasive weedy species from Eurasia. Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle) and C. arvense (Canada thistle€”a misnomer) have long been despised as noxious weeds . In recent years C. palustre (European swamp thistle) has joined their ranks . Additionally, weedy Eurasian species of Carduus, Onopordum, Centaurea, etc. , add to the public perception that all thistles are bad. Most North American native Cirsium are not at all weedy, and many are strikingly attractive plants. All are spiny plants that command respect, but they deserve a better reputation as one of North America€™s evolutionary success stories.

Native Cirsium species have come under threat from biocontrol programs instituted to suppress populations of weedy introduced thistles. Beginning in 1968 the seedhead weevil Rhinocyllus conicus has been widely introduced in various areas of the United States and Canada, primarily to control weedy species of Carduus. S. M. Louda et al. (1997) reported that R. conicus has crossed over to several native species of Cirsium. They observed that the number of viable cypselae in infested heads was greatly reduced; e.g. , heads of C. canescens infested by R. conicus produced 14.1 percent of the number of viable cypselae as in uninfested heads. Not all taxa are impacted as much as C. canescens, particularly those with later flowering phenology (Louda 1998) . R. W. Pemberton (2000) reported that 22 Cirsium taxa in North America are known hosts of R. conicus. I suspect that the number is higher. During my field work I have observed that the heads of many Cirsium species are heavily parasitized, although I have not determined which of these are infested by R. conicus and which by native seedhead parasites. The long-term impacts of R. conicus and other biocontrol agents on native thistles, particularly rare taxa, remain to be determined.[2]

Physical Description

Species Cirsium arvense

Canada thistle is an herbaceous perennial with erect stems 1½-4 feet tall, prickly leaves and an extensive creeping rootstock . Stems are branched, often slightly hairy , and ridged . Leaves are lance-shaped, irregularly lobed with spiny , toothed margins and are borne singly and alternately along the stem. Rose-purple, lavender, or sometimes white flower heads appear from June through October, generally, and occur in rounded , umbrella-shaped clusters .[1]

The small, dry, single-seeded fruits of Canada thistle, called achenes, are 1-1½ inches long and have a feathery structure attached to the seed base . Many native species of thistle occur in the U.S., some of which are rare. Because of the possibility of confusion with native species, Canada thistle should be accurately identified before any control is attempted.[1]

Perennials, dioecious or nearly so, 30-120(-200) cm; colonial from deep-seated creeping roots producing adventitious buds. Stems 1-many, erect, glabrous to appressed gray-tomentose; branches 0-many, ascending . Leaves: blades oblong to elliptic , 3-30 × 1-6 cm, margins plane to revolute , entire and spinulose , dentate , or shallowly to deeply pinnatifid , lobes well separated, lance-oblong to triangular-ovate, spinulose to few-toothed or few-lobed near base, main spines 1-7 mm, abaxial faces glabrous to densely gray-tomentose, adaxial green, glabrous to thinly tomentose ; basal absent at flowering, petioles narrowly winged , bases tapered; principal larger cauline proximally winged-petiolate, distally sessile, well distributed, gradually reduced, not decurrent; distal cauline becoming bractlike, entire, toothed, or lobed, spinulose or not. Heads 1-many, borne singly or in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays at tips of main stem and branches. Peduncles 0.2-7 cm. Involucres ovoid in flower, ± campanulate in fruit, 1-2 × 1-2 cm, arachnoid tomentose, ± glabrate . Phyllaries in 6-8 series, strongly imbricate, (usually purple-tinged), ovate (outer) to linear (inner), abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge , outer and middle appressed, entire, apices ascending to spreading , spines 0-1 mm (fine) ; apices of inner phyllaries flat, ± flexuous , margins entire to minutely erose or ciliolate . Corollas purple (white or pink) ; staminate 12-18 mm, (remaining longer than pappus when head is fully mature ), tubes 8-11 mm, throats 1-1.5 mm, lobes 3-5 mm; pistillate 14-20 mm, (overtopped by pappi in fruit), tubes 10-15 mm, throats ca. 1 mm, lobes 2-3 mm; style tips 1-2 mm. Cypselae brown, 2-4 mm, apical collar not differentiated; pappi 13-32 mm, exceeding corollas. 2n = 34. Flowering summer (Jun-Oct). [source]

Numerous variants of Cirsium arvense have been named based upon such features as pubescence , extent of leaf division, and spininess. Although extreme variants can be strikingly different, they are connected by such a web of intermediates that there seems to be little value in according any of them formal taxonomic recognition. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June, July, August. • Flower Color: cream, lavender, magenta, purple, tan, violet

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 24-36" tall.

Habitat

Disturbed sites, fields , pastures, roadsides, forest openings; 0-2600 m ; introduced .

Nuzzo (1997) cites that C. arvense occurs in nearly every upland herbaceous community within its range , and is a particular threat in prairie communities and riparian habitats . Throughout its range it is common on roadsides, in oldfields, croplands, and pastures, in deep, well-aerated, mesic soils. In eastern North America, it occasionally occurs in relatively dry habitats, including sand dunes and sandy fields, as well as on the edges of wet habitat, including stream banks, lakeshores, cleared swamps , muskegs and ditches. It is shade intolerant . It grows on all but waterlogged, poorly aerated soils, including clay , clay loam, silt loam , sandy loam, sandy clay, sand dunes, gravel , limestone, and chalk , but not peat. Zouhar (2001) reports that it can tolerate soils with up to 2% salt content . It grows best between 0 - 32 °Celsius. It tolerates annual precipitation ranging from 305-1015 mm per year and grows best with 400-750 mm of precipitation per year.

Canada thistle grows in barrens , glades , meadows, prairies, fields, pastures, and waste places. It does best in disturbed upland areas but also invades wet areas with fluctuating water levels such as streambank sedge meadows and wet prairies.[1]

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,848 meters (0 to 9,344 feet).[3]

Ecology: Invasive:

Control:

Biology

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Reproduction

Canada thistle produces an abundance of bristly-plumed seeds which are easily dispersed by the wind. Most of the seeds germinate within a year, but some may remain viable in the soil for up to twenty years or more. Vegetative reproduction in Canada thistle is aided by a fibrous taproot capable of sending out lateral roots as deep as 3 feet below ground , and from which shoots sprout up at frequent intervals. It also readily regenerates from root fragments less than an inch in length .[1]

Nuzzo (1997) states that the weed spreads primarily by vegetative means (by its root), and secondarily by seed. The root system can be extensive, growing horizontally as much as 6 m in one season , and individual roots live up to two years. Most patches spread at the rate of 1-2 m/year. Under good growing conditions, female plants produce an average of 29 flowering shoots/square meter, each with an average of 41 heads/shoot and 59 seeds/head. A single plant produces an average of 1500 and up to 5300 seeds. Multiple plants produced 100-64,300 viable seeds/m2 in Australia and up to 30,200/m2 in Holland.

Germination may be affected by ecotype, temperature , day length , depth of seed burial, substrate stratification , and seed freshness. Seeds from "male" plants are smaller and percent germination is lower. Seeds germinate best in warm temperatures 20 - 40 degrees Celsius, with alternating light and dark periods. At lower temperatures germination is aided by high light intensity . Germination at higher temperatures can help ensure that maximum germination takes place during warmer periods of the year. Seeds are somewhat tolerant of heat, and some were still viable after 10 minutes at 102 degrees Celsius and 2 minutes at 262 degrees Celsius, although viability was decreased at these temperatures compared to unheated controls . The seeds germinate over a wide range of soil moisture.

Duration: Biennial, Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 15-18" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.1 • Maximum pH: 9.0

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a. (map)

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Breea arvensis (L.) Less. • Carduus arvensis (L.) Robson • Cephalonoplos arvense (L.) Fourr. • Cirsium arvense var. argenteum (Vest) Fiori • Cirsium arvense var. horridum Wimmer and Grab. • Cirsium arvense var. integrifolium Wimmer and Grab. • Cirsium arvense var. mite Wimmer and Grab. • Cirsium arvense var. vestitum Wimmer and Grab. • Cirsium incanum (Gmel.) Fisch. • Cirsium setosum (Willd.) Bess. Ex Bieb. • Cnicus arvensis (L.) Hoffm. • Serratula arvensis L.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 17-Nov-09

Similar Species

Members of the genus Cirsium

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 146 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

C. altissimum (Roadside Thistle) · C. amblylepis (Mt. Tamalpais Thistle) · C. andersonii (Anderson's Thistle) · C. andrewsii (Franciscan Thistle) · C. araneans (Jeweled Thistle) · C. arcuum (Powderpuff Thistle) · C. aridum (Cedar Rim Thistle) · C. arizonicum (Arizona Thistle) · C. arizonicum var. arizonicum (Arizona Thistle) · C. arizonicum var. nidulum (Arizona Thistle) · C. arvense (Californian Thistle) · C. barnebyi (Barneby's Thistle) · C. brevifolium (Palouse Thistle) · C. brevistylum (Clustered Thistle) · C. calcareum (Cainville Thistle) · C. californicum var. californicum (California Thistle) · C. callilepis var. callilepis (Fringebract Thistle) · C. canalense (Canal Thistle) · C. canescens (Platte Thistle) · C. canovirens (Gray Green Thistle) · C. canum (Queen Anne's Thistle) · C. carolinianum (Carolina Thistle) · C. chellyense (Queen Thistle) · C. chuskaense (Monarch Thistle) · C. ciliolatum (Ashland Thistle) · C. clavatum (Fish Lake Thistle) · C. clokeyi (Charleston Mountain Thistle) · C. congdonii (Rosette Thistle) · C. crassicaule (Slough Thistle) · C. crassum (Thistle) · C. cymosum (Peregrine Thistle) · C. diacanthus (Ivory Thistle) · C. discolor (Field Thistle) · C. douglasii (Douglas Thistle) · C. douglasii var. breweri (Douglas' Thistle) · C. douglasii var. breweri (Petr.) Keil & C.Turner (Douglas' Thistle) · C. douglasii var. douglasii (Douglas' Thistle) · C. douglasii var. douglasii DC. (Douglas' Thistle) · C. drummondii (Drummond Thistle) · C. eatonii (Eaton Thistle) · C. eatonii var. eatonii (Eaton's Thistle) · C. edule (Edible Thistle) · C. engelmannii (Engelmann Thistle) · C. eriophorum (Woolly Thistle) · C. erosum (Glory Thistle) · C. flodmanii (Flodman Thistle) · C. foliosum (Drummond's Thistle) · C. fontinale (Fountain Thistle) · C. fontinale (Greene) Jeps. var. campylon (H.K.Sharsmith) Pilz ex Keil & C.Turner (Fountain Thistle) · C. fontinale var. campylon (Mt Hamilton Thistle) · C. fontinale var. fontinale (Fountain Thistle) · C. fontinale var. obispoense (Chorro Creek Bog Thistle) · C. gilense (Gila Thistle) · C. grahamii (Graham's Thistle) · C. griseum (Gray Thistle) · C. hallii (Hall's Thistle) · C. helenioides (Melancholy Thistle) · C. heterophyllum (Curly Head) · C. hillii (Hill's Thistle) · C. hookerianum (Hooker Thistle) · C. horridulum (Bristly Thistle) · C. horridulum Michx. var. vittatum (Small) R.W.Long (Yellow Thistle) · C. horridulum var. horridulum (Yellow Thistle) · C. horridulum var. vittatum (Yellow Thistle) · C. humboldtense (Humboldt County Thistle) · C. hydrophilum (Suisun Thistle) · C. hydrophilum var. hydrophilum (Suisun Thistle) · C. hydrophilum var. vaseyi (Vasey's Thistle) · C. inornatum (Cloudcroft Thistle) · C. iowense (Iowa Thistle) · C. japonicum (Japanese Thistle) · C. japonicum 'Pink Beauty' (Japanese Thistle) · C. kamtschaticum (Kamchatka Thistle) · C. laterifolium (Porcupine Thistle) · C. lecontei (Le Conte's Thistle) · C. loncholepis (La Graciosa Thistle) · C. longistylum (Long-Styled Thistle) · C. mendocinum (Mendocino Thistle) · C. mexicanum (Mexican Thistle) · C. modestum (Lacy Thistle) · C. mohavense (Mohave Thistle) · C. murdockii (Murdock's Thistle) · C. muticum (Swamp Thistle) · C. navajoense (Navajo Thistle) · C. neomexicanum (Lavender Thistle) · C. neomexicanum var. neomexicanum (New Mexico Thistle) · C. neomexicanum var. utahense (Utah Thistle) · C. nuttallii (Nutalls Thistle) · C. occidentale (Cobweb Thistle) · C. occidentale (Nutt.) Jeps. var. californicum (Gray) Keil and C.Turner (California Thistle) · C. occidentale var. californicum (Cobwebby Thistle) · C. occidentale var. compactum (Compact Cobwebby Thistle) · C. occidentale var. occidentale (Cobwebby Thistle) · C. occidentale var. venustum (Cobwebby Thistle) · C. ochrocentrum (Yellow-Spine Thistle) · C. olivescens (Summer Thistle) · C. oreophilum (Crow Thistle) · C. osterhoutii (Osterhout's Thistle) · C. ownbeyi (Ownbey's Thistle) · C. pallidum (Pale Thistle)

More Info

Further Reading

Notes

Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 18, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group. Least Wanted http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/ciar1.htm [back]
  2. David J. Keil "Cirsium". in Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 57, 66, 82, 83, 93, 95, 96, 97, 100, 102, 1. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Mean = 91.180 meters (299.147 feet), Standard Deviation = 168.400 based on 20,000 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/14/2012