Carduus nutans (Musk Thistle) - Biennial

Size:

• Grows to 6+ feet tall

Leaves:

• Dark green with light green midrib; deeply lobed, spiny margins; edges  often “frosted”

Stem:

• Hairless, spiny winged, green, sometimes wooly and branched

Flowers:

• Single large pink to purple bloom at the end of each stem, up to 3 inches  wide, usually bent over (“nodding thistle”); surrounded by purplish bracts

Roots:

• Deep, fleshy taproot

Seeds:

• Downy; prolific; float on the wind

Habitat:

• Roadsides, disturbed areas

Control:

• Dig rosettes when soil is moist, removing at least 4” of root. Cutting the  top growth prompts the plant to send up additional flowers; if cutting,  sever at base of plant. Bag ALL seed heads. Don’t let it set seeds!