E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of BC

Cirsium edule Nutt.
edible thistle
Asteraceae (Aster family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

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Map

Distribution of Cirsium edule
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC

Cirsium edule var. macounii

Species Information

General:
Stout biennial or perennial herb from a taproot; stems ribbed, sparsely to moderately hairy, simple to branched, 0.3-2.0 m tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves broadly lanceolate, up to 40 cm long, green to dark green above, glabrous or sparsely hairy above and below, irregularly lobed or coarsely toothed, usually more than 1/2 the width of the leaf blade, margins of the segments with 3-5 slender, yellow spines; stem leaves narrowly elliptic or oblong, 10-16 cm long, alternate, otherwise similar to the basal, uppermost reduced.

Flowers:
Heads solitary to many in small clusters at the ends of branches, nodding when young; involucres egg-shaped, 2-4 cm tall; involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, moderately to densely cobwebby, not much graduated, outer ones tapering to a prominent 1-2 mm spine, innermost unarmed; disk flowers purplish-pink, 12-24 mm long; styles exceeding the flowers by 3-8 mm.

Fruits:
Achenes prismatic, several-nerved, glabrous, purplish-black; pappus buff or whitish, feathery bristles.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Cirsium edule

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Avg	Min	Max
Elevation (metres)	1083	15	2385
Slope Gradient (%)	22	-5	90
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	198	60	338
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	4	0	7
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
# of field plots species was recorded in:	93
Modal BEC Zone Class	ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in	AT(1), BAFA(1), CDF(1), CMA(1), CWH(16), ESSF(24), ICH(6), IDF(17), MH(1), MS(10), PP(7), SBPS(3), SBS(1)
Source: Klinkenberg 2013

Habitat and Range

Moist to mesic meadows, avalanche tracks and open forests in the upper montane to lower alpine zones; frequent throughout BC; S to N OR.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.

Taxonomic Keys

TAXONOMIC KEY TO CIRSIUM

1. Heads small; involucres 1-2 (rarely 2.5) cm tall; plants introduced.

2. Stems distinctly spiny-winged; plants with perfect flowers C. palustre
2. Stems not conspicuously spiny-winged; plants partly of male and female flowers........ C. arvense

1. Heads large; involucres more than 2 cm tall; plants native (except C. vulgare).

3. Leaves bristly-spiny above, stems distinctly spiny-winged............ C. vulgare
3. Leaves cobwebby to loosely woolly-hairy, woolly or nearly glabrous above, stems not spiny-winged.

4. Pappus of mature seeds exceeding the corollas by 1-10 mm.............. C. foliosum
4. Pappus of mature seeds shorter than the corollas.

5. Heads large; involucres 3-5 cm tall........... C. drummondii
5. Heads small; involucres less than 3 cm tall.

6. Outer involucral bracts more than 2 mm wide at base, slightly if at all hairy and if so, then mainly marginal.

7. Outer involucral bracts strongly glandular; lowermost leaves deeply pinnately lobed more than 1/2 the width of the blade.............. C. undulatum
7. Outer involucral bracts without glands; lowermost leaves shallowly pinnately lobed to 1/2 or less the width of the blade............... C. scariosum

6. Outer involucral bracts less than 2 mm wide at base, densely cobwebby.

8. Corollas white or creamy-white, rarely pinkish; involucral bracts greenish............. C. hookerianum
8. Corollas purplish-red to purplish-pink; outer involucral bracts purplish.

9. Styles exceeding the corollas by at least 3 mm; achenes 5-6.5 mm long; leaves usually lobed more than 1/2 the width of the blade.............. C. edule
9. Styles nearly equal to or exceeding the corollas by only 1.5 mm; achenes 4-4.5 mm long; leaves usually lobed less than 1/2 the width of the blade................. C. brevistylum

Source: Illustrated Flora of British Columbia