Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |
Flowers: |
Pappus: (white) |
status
flower
flower
inner
petals
stem
stem
stem
pricklescontact
19th June 2019, coastal path to Sambo's Grave, well South of Heysham. | Photo: © RWD |
Spreading rampant like wildfire here along the coast south of Morecambe Bay. |
19th June 2019, coastal path to Sambo's Grave, well South of Heysham. | Photo: © RWD |
Grows alongside the high water mark and up a man-made hill to protect the farmland behind from the sea. |
19th June 2019, coastal path to Sambo's Grave, well South of Heysham. | Photo: © RWD |
All gathered together for a moot. An impenetrable barrier to sheep and man. |
31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
Prefers growing near the sea,, but not rampantly as those near Sambo's Grave. Branched, with thistle-heads atop each very spiny stem. |
31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
View of Piel Island, with Barrow behind. Slender Thistles on the shore-line just above high tide. |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
Extremely prickly and spiny! Not for walking through wearing shorts! |
16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Spiny stem covered in spiny leaves, and spiny welts. Flowers un-stalked in clusters of 3 to 10. |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers pale pink to purple. |
16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Sepals around the flower are tapered to a sharp point, and curve outwards in whorls. |
31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
There is nowhere to hold this extremely prickly plant without getting punctured. |
31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
Outwardly curved sharply pointed yellowing green sepals. Inner sepals purple tipped. Disc florets not yet emerged. |
16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Between the sharp spines is a cobweb of white threads |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
Your Author thinks the fluffy white bobbles atop disc florets are the stigmas. |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
Your Author thinks the fluffy white bobbles atop disc florets are the stigmas. |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
Winged stems are actually welted, with the welt twisting one way then the other sinusoidally. Welts and stems have white cobweb hairs too. |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
The lower leaves in prominence. |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
Basal rosette plus developing central stalk, already with latent flower(s). |
25th May 2012, Little Orme, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
A lower leaf. |
31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
Basal rosette of leaves of a young specimen. |
31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
Milky-green leaves also covered in a thin veil of white cobweb-like threads, not to mention the spines on the well-toothed edges. |
Easily mis-identified as : Can be mistaken for: Marsh Thistle because that also has flower-heads that seem to have no stalks, but the flowers are either much more deeply purple, or white with purple tips. Some similarities to : Creeping Thistle but that has more lilac flowers, which are stalked. Slender Thistle does not hybridize with any other thistle.
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Carduus | tenuiflorus | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Asteraceae |
Carduus (Thistles) |
Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |