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Cobwebby thistle

Cirsium occidentale

Also called Western Thistle, Cobweb Thistle

Cobwebby thistle
Photo: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0

Cobwebby thistle is a native North American biennial or short-lived perennial thistle, often reaching about 3 m tall, with cobweb-like fibers on its flower heads. It is a native species, not a troublesome weed, found mainly in California and the western Great Basin.

Family
Asteraceae (Daisy family)
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly once established; it tolerates dry conditions typical of its native desert and mountain habitats.
Soil
Well-drained soil, tolerant of poor or gravelly ground.
Temperature
Hardy in mild to cool climates; tolerates cold winters and hot dry summers typical of its native range.
How easy
Easy
Native range
W. U.S.A. to NW. Mexico

About

Cirsium occidentale, with the common name cobweb thistle or cobwebby thistle, is a North American species of thistle in the family Asteraceae.

Where it grows

The plant is widespread and fairly common across most of California: in its mountain ranges, valleys, and the Mojave Desert; and in the western Great Basin region in western Nevada, southern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho.

Other Cirsium plants

Dwarf Thistle · Tall thistle · Rose thistle · Franciscan thistle · Alishan Thistle · Arizona thistle · Creeping Thistle · Barneby's thistle · Cirsium boninense · Cirsium brachycephalum · Palouse thistle · Clustered thistle

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cirsium occidentale by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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