Welcome to Catnapin's

Purple and Blue Wildflower Gallery

Thistle

     

Asteraceae (Compositae) - Sunflower family
Texas Thistle Cirsium texanum
Flower about 1" wide. Plant shown is about 5 feet tall.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May 2002
(Native of Texas - Taylor, etc.)

        

Asteraceae (Compositae) - Sunflower family
Wavyleaf Thistle Cirsium undulatum
Flower about 4" wide, one flower on a stalk. Flower ball is thorny and can have white center stripes on the "scales". Plant can flower from 1-5 feet tall. Leaves are wavy and have lots of thorns.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May-June 2004
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Coleman, Brown, Coke)

                 

Asteraceae (Compositae) - Sunflower family
Scotch Thistle (Bull Thistle, Spear Thistle) Cirsium vulgare
Flower base is long and bulbous. Flowers are clustered at the end of stems. This is the thistle displayed on Scottish coat-of-arms.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May 2002
(Introduced from Europe, invasive)

        

Asteraceae (Compositae) - Sunflower family
Bull Thistle (Yellow Thistle, Purple Thistle, Horrid Thistle) Cirsium horridulum
Flowers tend to be clumped together on short stalks at the top of a tall main stalk. Flower color can be lavender or light yellow. Anthers of flowers will bend toward a light touch, like a bee, to help in pollination. Leaves are very sharp and grow in a prickly rosette before sending up a flowering stalk. White hairs give the stems and leaves a silvery glow. Plant can reach 5 feet. Insects love the honey. Larger animals will eat the flowers if they can miss the spines.
Flower photos taken by Sonnia Hill in Van Zandt County, Texas, April 2003
Rosette photo taken in Van Zandt County, Texas, November 2006
(Native of Texas - Coleman)

Yellow Variation

  

Flower photos taken by Sonnia Hill in Brazoria County, Texas, April 2006

Similar Species

Yellowspine Thistle Cirsium ochrocentrum
Flowers can be yellow, white, or lavender. Spines on leaves and flower base are yellow, very sharp. Central stem is topped by many flowering stems. Leaves are narrowly compact and stand out straight from central stem.
Roots can be cooked or eaten raw. Peeled stems are cooked as greens. Young leaves are edible or can be steeped as tea.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Callahan, Coleman, Coke, Nolan)