Canada Thistle, Creeping Thistle, Field Thistle Cirsium arvense Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)

​The Bloom Blog
Blooming this week in the environs of Abiquiú
​
By Wildflowers of the Southern Rocky Mountains

By Marilyn Phillips

Found in disturbed soil
Seen blooming by the Tierra Azul acequia

Not a wildflower to encourage, Canada Thistle is one of the most economically important agricultural weeds in the world. It was introduced to North America in the 1600s and soon was recognized as a problem weed. Weed control legislation against the species was passed by the Vermont legislature in 1795. Canada Thistle is now listed as a noxious weed in most areas where it occurs. Despite this, it can be a source of forage for livestock, providing similar nutritional value to alfalfa, bees and butterflies love it as a source of nectar. It is an aggressive plant that grows three to five feet tall in large, dense colonies from a deep and wide-spreading root system. Leaves are very spiny and lobed with wavy edges. The many flower heads are pale-purplish, ½ to ¾ inch across and less than one inch high. Bracts are pointed but do not have spines. Roots can be eaten raw or cooked, but may cause flatulence. Stems can be peeled and cooked like asparagus or rhubarb. The leaves are edible but not worth the effort of removing the spines. The root is tonic, diuretic, astringent, antiphlogistic and hepatic. It has been chewed as a remedy for toothache. A decoction of the roots was used to treat worms in children. Source.

If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to [email protected]. Read online for tips.