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Cynara cardunculus
Tall dry plant with large head of seeds. It grows "0.8–1.5 m tall, with deeply lobed and heavily spined green to grey-green tomentose leaves up to 50 cm long, with yellow spines up to 3.5 cm long. The flowers are violet-purple, produced in a large, globose, massively spined capitulum up to 6 cm diameter. Cardoon stalks can be covered with small, nearly invisible spines that can cause substantial pain if they become lodged in the skin." - Wikipedia
Lake Hodges trail
Aka Cardoon "The California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) lists plants that cause serious problems in native ecosystems. Cal-IPC classifies the statewide impact of Cynara cardunculus as moderate. Cynara cardunculus is also classified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture as a Noxious Weed List B: Control required in nurseries, control elsewhere at the discretion of local County Agricultural Commissioner." - CalFlora
Spotted on Nov 2, 2011
Submitted on Nov 2, 2011
1 Comment
Looks like thistles (Cirsium sp.) that have gone to seed.