OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cirsium altissimum   FAMILY Asteraceae__   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cirsium altissimum   FAMILY Asteraceae__

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)

Cirsium altissimum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-25-006:

Carduus altissimus   FAMILY Asteraceae__

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Cirsium altissimum

 

COMMON NAME:
Tall Thistle


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_cial2_001_lvd

        

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm220722_9318

July    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm170818_638

August    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm170818_641

August    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm170818_642

August    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm070927_016b

September    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

Involucres have the middle and outer bracts tipped with a spine, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm070927_017

September    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm070927_021

September    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

Involucres 2-3.5cm long, 2-3.5cm broad, weakly arachnose, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE involucral bracts of Thistles

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm120910_572

September    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm120910_583

September    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm120910_591

September    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

Leaves lobed or unlobed, leaf margins not revolute, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm120910_594

September    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

Stems are smooth and leaves are white-woolly on the undersides, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm120910_600

September    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

Most of its cauline leaves are unlobed, though they may have large teeth, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm120910_607

September    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

Heads pedunculate, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm120910_611

September    Greenville County    SC

Swamp Rabbit Trail

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm180903_4527

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm180903_4529

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

Leaves densely white-hairy beneath, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm210914_3686

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm210914_3687

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm210919_3730

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm210919_3731

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm210919_3732

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm220908_9759

September    Greenville County    SC

Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_cirsium_altissimum

September        

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    s070927_ef

September    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm151024_540b

October    Greenville County    SC

Blue Wall Preserve

The pappus is plumose [feathery], per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm151030_622

October    Greenville County    SC

Blue Wall Preserve

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm151030_625

October    Greenville County    SC

Blue Wall Preserve

image of Cirsium altissimum, Tall Thistle

JK Marlow    jkm151030_628

October    Greenville County    SC

Blue Wall Preserve

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Cirsium altissimum   FAMILY Asteraceae__

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cirsium altissimum   FAMILY Asteraceae__

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Cirsium altissimum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-25-006:
Carduus altissimus   FAMILY Asteraceae__

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cirsium altissimum

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

332

Forb
Biennial

Habitat: Pastures, woodlands, thickets, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Uncommon (rare in Coastal Plain)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Leaf margins spiny

LEAVES:
Simple: Lobed, unlobed and/or dissected
Alternate

FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Disc: Purplish-lavender
Rays: Absent
Inferior ovary
Bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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