BONUS: You’ll also receive our Almanac Companion newsletter! Musk thistle (Carduus nutans), See 4D and 5D on pages 4 and 5. Vigorous biennial or short-lived warm-season perennial forb with coarse, spiny leaves and conspicuous spiny-winged stems; 1-1/2 to 12 feet tall. Culturally we really just don't like thistles. Like nettles, thistles have been prescribed for toothaches, as a restorative tonic, and to impart warmth through their counterirritant action. Most of the non-natives have hairless or sparsely haired leaves. We have 10 species of thistle in Nebraska, 5 native (tall, Platte, Flodman's, yellowspine, and wavyleaf) and 5 non-native (plumeless, musk, Canada, bull, and Scotch). The Silybum marianum plant goes by many different names, including Scotch thistle, holy thistle, Mary thistle, variegated thistle, and milk thistle. Canada thistle has been on the Noxious Weed List since 1873. Lobes on leaves are tipped with stout spines. The Value of Native Thistles Native thistles provide highly valuable food resources for a wide variety of insects, including: honey bees, bumble bees, long horned bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees, syrphid flies, butterflies, hawk moths, soldier beetles, leaf beetles, scarab beetles, and parasitoid wasps. It rarely reaches infestation levels that justify treatment, probably because the insects that feed on native Circium spp. 80% to 90% of seeds remain viable for five years and they are spread far and wide by water, wind, wildlife, and human activity. Tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum), See 3A and 6A on pages 3 and 6. Scotch thistle has been found growing in a number of western Washington counties but the sites are generally small and isolated. They can grow anywhere from 7.5 to 30 cm long. Overview Information Scotch thistle is a plant. Legend has it that in the tenth century, the invading Danes gave themselves away by their screams when they tried to steal away barefoot through a dry moat full of thistles. Erect foliage and flower stems are formed the second year. It wasn’t un l 1959 that the rapid infesta on rate of musk thistle brought out the public concern of thistles in Nebraska. In reality, native thistles are a group of wildflowers that are just as much a part of prairie ecosystems as more well-loved groups of wildflowers like coneflowers, penstemons, or prairie clovers. Solutions are posted to the . thistles also feed on bull thistle. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree, she worked for the Forest Service in Arizona, Oregon State University and Boise State University’s Raptor Research Center conducting surveys for Mexican and Northern Spotted Owl, Northern Goshawk, Golden Eagle and other raptors. One variety, the Scotch thistle, sports purple flowers and prickly leaves and has become the national emblem of Scotland. Native thistles also provide nesting sites for cavity nesting bees, which are known to use the stalks of thistles. Acta Oecologica 24(2):77-86. Many native thistles also have thick, white hairs on the underside of leaves, giving the leaves a two-toned appearance; light on bottom, darker on top. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. The Bull thistle was used by early humans as a warm medicinal tea. Occasionally, in disturbed sites, native thistles such as Flodman's thistle, can form localized stands, but are less likely to expand than non-native thistles. Some parts of this site work best with JavaScript enabled. Bull thistle is a Class C Noxious Weed in Washington, first listed in 1988. Landowners and homeowners realize this plant was a serious problem and needed to be controlled. ---Description---It is a biennial, flowering in late summer and autumn. Yellowspine . [Accessed Sep 10, 2014]. Nettles are commonly of the family Urticaceae, and their tiny hairs release an irritant that gives them the name stinging nettle. Weedy characteristics: Scotch thistle is highly competitive and aggressive, and forms dense colonies that can choke out native vegetation. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) has lobed leaves with sword-shaped sections, and scary spines at the tips. It is used as medicine. It can also be found in over-grazed sites, roadsides, and riparian areas. Open Fields and Waters land west of Ainsworth, Brown County. Many of these herbivorous insects that feed on native thistles also feed on non-native thistles and may help suppress thistle invasions. Many insects feed on the leaves, stems, flowers and seeds, while some songbirds also feed on thistle seeds. Scotch thistle is more densely covered with white hairs, tends to be taller, and the stems have "wings" along the entire length, unlike bull thistle. As nouns the difference between thistle and burdock is that thistle is any of several perennial composite plants, especially of genera cirsium'', ''carduus'', ''cynara or , having prickly leaves and showy flower heads with prickly bracts while burdock is any of the species of biennial thistles in the genus arctium . Populations of native thistles can act as a reservoir of these insect herbivores and help suppress invasions of non-native thistles. Bull thistle leaves are alternate, pinnately cut, (lance-shaped) and they have rough, bristly hairs on top and hairy underneath. To the best of my knowledge, there are no fully reliable physical characteristics to distinguish all native thistles from non-native thistles, but in general, native thistles tend to be less spiny with the spines more localized on leaf margins. Contrary to the name, Canada thistle did not come into the U.S. from our northern neighbor, but rather was introduced in the 17th century from the Mediterranean region and southeast Europe. Musk thistle and bull thistle have been listed as noxious weeds only in … Scotch thistle is a biennial weed, so it depends quite heavily on establishment from seed on a regular basis if it is to be found commonly in any particular situation. We have 10 species of thistle in Nebraska, 5 native (tall, Platte, Flodman's, yellowspine, and wavyleaf) and 5 non-native (plumeless, musk, Canada, bull, and Scotch). Cattle can be trained to eat Canada thistle and other weeds. Scotch thistle Pacific Northwest Extension Publication PNW 569. Native thistle provide important habitat and food sources for native fauna. Scotch thistle, Gary Stone photo. Common name(s): Bull thistle, spear thistle Scientific name: Cirsium vulgare Family: Sunflower or Aster family (Asteraceae) Reasons for concern: This aggressive and persistent species can quickly take over both disturbed and unattended areas, and outcompete native species, reducing plant diversity and wildlife habitat. Legend has it that in the tenth century, the invading Danes gave themselves away by their screams when they tried to steal away barefoot through a dry moat full of thistles. Figure 2C. For more information, see Noxious Weed Lists and Laws or visit the website of the Washington State Noxious Weed Contro… The large flower heads and flower density of many native thistles encourages greater visitation by pollinators. Native thistles provide food for songbirds such as American goldfinch, indigo bunting, pine siskin, dark-eyed junco, several species of sparrow, and ruby-throated hummingbird. Bull thistle is a biennial that forms a rosette the first year. In comparison, bull thistle has basal leaves and leaves that are smooth to sparsely woolly below; giving a green appearance. Coordinating Wildlife Biologist. One variety, the Scotch thistle, sports purple flowers and prickly leaves and has become the national emblem of Scotland. Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly on Flodman's thistle. Learn more at. The next time you jump on your ATV to address noxious and invasive vegetation on your property please give some thought to which thistle you target and which ones you leave. Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect. Scotch Thistle … She also has some experience with habitat improvement projects. The goldfinch is particularly attracted to the thistle. Erin is stationed in Chadron, Nebraska. Italian thistle Yellow starthistle Bull thistle (Blessed) milkthistle Scotch thistle Tocalote (Malta starthistle) Canada thistle All of these species are found at least one of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, or Tulare Counties. Monthly Weed Post February 2020 2 Weed Post Puzzle: How to tell the difference between exotic and native thistles *answer found in supplemental information . Scotch thistle can be confused with bull thistle (Cirsium vulgaris), which is also sometimes called "Scotch thistle" and is much more common in western Washington. The Scotch Thistle, or Cotton Thistle (Onopordon Acanthium) is one of the most beautiful of British plants, not uncommon in England, by roadsides and in waste places, particularly in chalky and sandy soils in the southern counties. This plant often grows as a biennial. Many species of thistles have edible roots, inner stems, young leaves, young inner parts of flower buds and seeds. Nebraska Extension Acreage Team Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County Lincoln, NE 68528, Phone: (402) 441-7180 Email: sbrowning2@unl.edu. Biennial thistles spread only by seed (achenes) that are produced in great number by all the noxious species, ran… This thistle doesn't have the milky striping, and its leaves are hairier than Italian or milk thistle. Scotch thistle (Ono-pordum acanthium), See 4E and 5E on pages 4 and 5. The nectar and pollen of native thistles are incredibly valuable food sources to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Working in partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Plumeless and Scotch thistles are listed as noxious weeds in both Arizona and New Mexico. Given the opportunity, a bull thistle can grow to 5 feet tall, and send out multiple flower stalks. This thistle plant I’m testing is a bull thistle, and the spines are huge and rigid. Question: Is a thistle the same as a nettle, and do they both sting? Tea made from Canada thistle leaves has been used as a diuretic as well as for treatment of tuberculosis. Our native thistles tend to get a bad reputation right along with the non-natives even though native thistles do not typically exhibit the same invasive, weedy tendencies. Native thistles are usually found as single plants or in small clumps rather than the expansive stands often formed by non-native thistles. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) (Figure 2) has been present in Oklahoma for more than 40 years and occurs statewide. bull thistle J. DiTomaso, bugwood.org Scotch thistle J. Randall, bugwood.org. Image from NEBRASKAland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Unfortunately, some of that effort may be unnecessary since it is often directed at eradicating all thistles indiscriminately. It is much more common in counties on the east side of the Cascades. All biennial thistles considered noxious are native to Europe or Eurasia, and were introduced into North America as seed contaminants. Figure 2B. Exotic invasive Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) Long silky hairs on Silver Plume Silver Plume blooms in September Virtually no hairs on Johnson grass SF 2016 (Cirsium discolor) Native Tall Thistle (Cirsium altissimum) Native Carolina Thistle (Cirsium carolinianum) Exotic invasive Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) Perennial. Prevalence and impact of the crown fly, Botanophila spinosa, on its host thistle, Onopordum acanthium, in southern France. Photos by Matt Lavin, MSU. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a GIS graduate certificate. FIGURE 4. Erin grew up in southeastern Nebraska roaming around the farm land of her parents’ home and the adjacent state Wildlife Management Area and State Recreation Area. Thistle Identification Telling thistle species apart can be difficult. 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