Cirsium vulgare (Bull Thistle) - Biennial

Size:

• Grows 2-5 feet tall. First year rosette can be 2+ feet in diameter, with very large leaves

Leaves:

• Dark green, bristly hairy above and cottony below; have deeply-lobed spiny margins and long terminus Stem Winged, prickly, with many spreading branches.

Flowers:

• Pinkish to dark purple flowers, single or clustered at the ends of stems. Shaped like a vase. Blooms June – August.

Roots:

• Single short and fleshy taproot with several lateral roots

Seeds:

• Tipped with plume-like white hairs; up to 4000/mature plant

Habitat:

• Pastures, fields, roadsides, waste areas

Control:

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