Indian thistle

Description:

BIG thistle, over 6' tall, leaves rather broad for a thistle and not deeply lobed. Gray fuzz on the underside of the leaves, especially when young & small (such as near the bud end). Spines not prominent. Stem large and hirsute.

Habitat:

Temperate rainforest at the edge of woods (but mostly under tree cover), standing alone in the grass. In second-growth Douglas fir, spruce & hemlock.

Notes:

The plant had not yet flowered, but was very noticeable. Apparently the elk had thought it remarkable, too, as there were BIG elk hoofprints near it, but no bites taken from it. I saw no other plants like it and have never seen one so big. I am not absolutely confident of the species identification; apparently thistles vary widely & are genetically plastic. But this appears to be one of the native thistles.