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Project Noah Nature School
Cirsium texanum
The Texas thistle grows 2-5 feet tall, without branches, or sparingly branched near the top. The numerous leaves are alternate, 4-9 inches long, smaller on the upper third of the stem. Leaves are green above and white below, with a woolly texture on the underside. The irregular lobes have spines at the tip but few elsewhere on the leaf. There is 1 flower head to a stem, with no ray flowers but numerous disk flowers, which are deep rose-lavender.
Riparian meadow. Native Distribution: Prairies and roadsides nearly throughout Texas, Oklahoma & Missouri, and south to northern Mexico.
Bumblebees work the flowers when they mature. Larvae of painted-lady butterfly feed on foliage. Goldfinches eat seeds and use fluff (silky) of ripened seeds to line nests.
Spotted on May 25, 2013
Submitted on May 25, 2013
2 Comments
Thanks :) trying to remember to photograph all the parts like a good Master Gardener should.
Nice series and information!