Native Plants

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.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Loveless, Brenda K.

Cirsium engelmannii

Cirsium engelmannii Rydb.

Engelmann's Thistle

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Synonym(s): Cirsium altissimum var. filipendulum, Cirsium filipendulum, Cirsium terraenigrae

USDA Symbol: CIEN2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

From the Image Gallery

20 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial , Biennial
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Tap
Leaf Shape: Elliptic , Ovate
Leaf Margin: Pinnatifid
Size Notes: Up to about 6 feet tall.
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.

Bloom Information

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

Distribution

USA: AR , LA , OK , TX

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.

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-12-05
Research By: DEW

Go back