Common name(s): Bull thistle, spear thistle Scientific name: Cirsium vulgare Family: Sunflower or Aster family (Asteraceae) Reasons for concern: This aggressive and persistent species can quickly take over both disturbed and unattended areas, and outcompete native species, reducing plant diversity and wildlife habitat. If you’re a vegetarian, there are plenty of problem plants you can eat. To do this, mash the flowers until a liquid is released. (Why would you want to curdle milk you ask? Areas of clear cut forests also often become infested with bull thistle because the lack of tree cover and disturbed soil offer an ideal location for the seeds to take root and flourish. Some thistles release chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of other plants. It was introduced to North America in the 1600s, probably in agricultural seed shipments and is now widespread throughout the United States and Canada. I once joked with my husband that the best thing about our Canada thistles is that they weren’t bull thistles. Why is it invasive? Vulgare is from Latin meaning ‘common’. They have become major problems in agricultural landscapes and 22 states have designated them as noxious weeds. Ecological Threat: Bull thistle is a problem in pastures because it competes with and decreases desirable forage and has no significant nutritive value for livestock. Comparatively, Canada thistle is a perennial that reproduces through underground rhizomes and wind-blown seeds. Cirsium, the genus name, is from the Greek word for ‘swollen vein’, because thistles were a medicinal remedy for this problem. Bull thistle is distasteful to most … Send … Non-native thistle populations exist in many natural areas, but there … Cirsium vulgare. Musk thistle and bull thistle are biennials causing major problems in perennial grass crops including pastures, roadsides, conservation reserve and fence rows. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum), another exotic, is occasionally found in Alabama as a pasture weed. bull thistle . species may be keeping its populations … Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a plant that is related to the sunflower family but has none of the charm and beauty of those sunny-nodding flower heads. Bull thistle delays reforestation and re-moisture … Sharp spines deter livestock, and presumably wildlife, from grazing. These thistles also out compete native plants … Bull thistle. Cirsium vulgare. Tall thistle is generally no taller than musk thistle -- 5 to 7 feet tall. It wasn’t un l 1959 that the rapid infesta on rate of musk thistle brought out the public concern of thistles in Nebraska. Why is bull thistle a problem? Jennie Cramer is a botanist with the Institute. Foliage is very pubescent, deeply lobed, and armed with stiff … But while most gardeners consider bull thistle as invasive plants, you can use certain types of thistle as a food source, an herbal remedy, and emergency cordage. It invades most disturbed habitats such as pastures, roadsides and ditch banks, and grows in dense thickets… On smaller plants, the whole stem and branches are spiny-winged. A very small amount of this liquid will curdle a … Bull thistles (Cirsium vulgare) are exactly that – bullish. The large size and rapid growth of bull thistle means it out-competes and shades many prairie plants. Thistle dandelion quiche. Bull thistles, and other varieties of thistles, grow in Kentucky from about April through October, he said. Germination occurs in the fall or spring. As mentioned earlier, they … Overgrazed pasture land is extremely vulnerable to invasion from the bull thistle. Landowners and homeowners realize this plant was a serious problem and needed to be controlled. Reasons Bull Thistle is a Problem: It colonizes primarily in disturbed areas such as pastures, roadsides, and ditch banks, but also in hayfields and disturbed prairies. 1 doctor agrees. It tends to grow best in soils with intermediate moisture although it will grow in dry and wet soils. 0. Spiny wings are formed on the stem of the prickly leaf base. Dr. Heidi Fowler answered. The plants can easily tolerate moist or dry soil conditions. CLARK COUNTY. It grows throughout North America, and is considered an invasive species in pastures and forestland. Its rosettes are occasionally troublesome in … Bull thistle re-produces solely by seed, while Canada this-tle reproduces primarily vegetatively by rhi-zomes, and only secondarily by seed. Bull thistle has a fleshy tap-root, Canada thistle roots are an extensive system of lateral rhizomes. Bull thistle outcompetes native plants and desir-able wildlife. Foraging books warn that you should use extreme caution when harvesting bull thistle because it can cause permanent damage to the cornea if it comes in contact with your eye. Thistles do attract pollinators and birds, but the spiny leaves and stems keep grazers away. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is very uncommon, and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is … The plant has colonized much of North America and is a pest plant in the garden an… Bull thistle is a weed that can grow in a wide range of environments but prefers disturbed areas. Because the pollen won’t germinate on the thistle flower that produces it, the Bull thistle needs to get its pollen to another flower head through cross-pollination by pollinators such as an insect or bird. All biennial thistles considered noxious are native to Europe or Eurasia, and were introduced into North America as seed contaminants. However, bull thistle mostly grows where soil has been disturbed, either along roadsides, or in overgrazed pastures. 0 comment. The only other plant I’ve seen such a stringent warning on regarding eye protection is hawthorn, and the thistle spines are almost … Bull thistles have an erect stem that can grow from 30 to 150 cm tall with wide set branches. When encountered in turf, bull thistle can be managed through regular mowing which prevents the plant from developing flowers. You’d want to do that if you were making cheese.) Bull thistle forms a spiny rosette the first year; the many-branched stem is formed the second year. Though bull thistle is difficult to contain, frequent mowing before it flowers can help keep it under control. Five are on the Endangered Species List. 2 thanks. Many of North America’s native thistles are noted as species of concern. A chemical vegetation killer can help eliminate bull thistle if mowing and pulling don't work. It can … Like most invasive plants, Canada thistle, bull thistle, and European swamp thistle (see below) threaten to replace native plants in high quality natural areas, which in turn reduces critical food resources for birds, butterflies, and other wild creatures. Cirsium. Weeds like bull thistle aren’t usually welcome in home gardens. (When we first moved here, the place was overrun with thistles. Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae.Prickles can also occur all over the plant – on the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. Possibly: There have been studies demonstrating benefit of milk thistle in a variety of liver problems, possibly in part due to increasing the concentration of ... Read More. These prickles are an adaptation that protects the plant from being eaten by … Invasive thistles can decrease crop yields and reduce forage. Bull thistle (Cirsium horridulum), also called bristly thistle… Biennial thistles spr… It is regarded as a serious pest in protected areas and parks such as Yosemite, … Isolated infesta-tions occasionally occur, but severe infestations larger than one acre, are rare. Causes include habitat loss, indiscriminate herbicide spraying, fire suppression, regulation policies like noxious weed laws, and the release of alien bio-control insects (for control of invasive non-native thistle species). 2. Biennial thistles, such as musk (Carduus nutans L.), plumeless (Carduus acanthoides L.) and bull thistle [Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Tenore], are not as difficult to control as the perennial thistle species, but spread rapidly and can become severe problems in some areas. Bull thistles prefer to grow in sunny locations. The style pushes … Bull thistle has been present in … It is a prickly biennial that grows freely in disturbed soils, pastures, ditches, roadsides and unmanaged spaces. Bull thistle foliage is dark green and often with a slight grey tint. Geographical Distribution Bull thistle was introduced … Compare an artichoke and a thistle, and notice that they are very … A 34-year-old female asked: how to use milk thistle drops? But it is more of a bushy plant. Why control bull thistle? uses of bull thistle. However, [it is claimed] that it can also aid in the treatment of cirrhosis , jaundice, hepatitis , and gallbladder problems (1) . They grow from seed the first season as a rosette (a taproot with a cluster of leaves on the soil surface). Canada thistle is native to Europe. PUBLIC WORKS VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. It likes pastures, edges of woods, waste places, fence lines and roadsides. Canada thistle has been on the Noxious Weed List since 1873. Winds can carry the seeds for many miles. Insects are commonly found on bull thistle, so insects that feed on some of the native . Tall thistle is often found in drainage ditches and wetland areas and not in pastures. The most common use of milk thistle is for liver problems. Classified as biennials, the weed reproduces by seed. The leaves are deeply lobed, hairy above and cottony below. The problem. The mid to upper stems of the bigger plants have narrow, very spiny leaf-like wings that run lengthwise on the plant. This plant and the related entities and synonyms italicized and indented above can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. The flowers of Canada thistle make a delicious chewing gum and the flower head of bull thistle can be used to curdle milk. The bull thistle is a tall spiny plant, with pink to purple flower heads. Bull thistle flower heads are pink to purple, and approximately 1 inch tall and wide. Sources don’t agree about this but I like to see the connection between an artichoke and a thistle. Biennials require portions of two growing seasons to reproduce. Bull thistle will not survive cultivation, which is probably why I rarely see it in well-maintained nursery fields. Bull thistle. Yellow thistle, also known as horrible thistle (Cirsium horridulum), is native and abundant throughout much of the state. Bull thistle thrives in sunny areas in a variety of soil types and conditions. This makes sense, because bull thistle has a dense, spike-like taproot that can penetrate even the most compacted soils. Bull thistle can reach a height of 3 feet. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a robust and spiny plant that has been in Oklahoma since the 1960s. (h/t to PreppersWill.com) What is bull thistle? As the stem gets thicker, the wings start drying and disappe… How it spreads. inches wide). 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