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Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Cirsium horridulum (Yellow thistle)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Cirsium horridulum Michx.

Yellow thistle

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

USDA Symbol: CIHO2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A tall branching stem with large yellow or red-purple flower heads and very spiny, clasping leaves. It grows 1-5 1/2 feet tall, and the leaves are 8-24 inches long. In rare instances the blossom is yellow.

Often found along the edges of salt marshes, it is also a pasture weed in the South, where it is frequently red-purple instead of yellow. Prairie Thistle (C. canescens) also yellow, has leaves white and velvety beneath and grayish above, with leaf bases extending, wing-like, down the stem. It is typical of overgrazed western pastures.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Fruit:
Size Class: 3-6 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , DE , FL , GA , LA , MA , MD , ME , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NV , NY , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA
Native Distribution: Coastal Plain from southern Maine to Florida; west to Texas.
Native Habitat: Shores, marshes, sandy or peaty fields.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees
Special Value to Bumble Bees
Provides Nesting Materials/Structure for Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Cirsium horridulum is a larval host and/or nectar source for:
Little Metalmark
(Calephelis virginiensis)

Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Native host plants for Painted Lady Butterfly
June 01, 2006
I am looking for host plants for the Painted Lady Butterfly that I can plant in my school's (I am a teacher) native plant/butterfly garden. As part of the curriculum, each spring the 1st grade raises...
view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-1161 Collected 2012-04-30 in Harrison County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller
Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Cirsium horridulum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Cirsium horridulum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Cirsium horridulum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2010-06-06
Research By: TWC Staff

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