Cirsium flodmanii, commonly known as prairie thistle, Flodman's thistle, or (in French) chardon de Flodman, is a plant species native to Canada and the northern United States. It has been found in every Canadian province from Québec to Alberta, as well as from the northern Great Plains, northern Rocky Mountains, and western Great Lakes regions of the US, as well as northern parts of Vermont, New York, and Washington.[3][4]

Flodman's thistle
1913 illustration[1]

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cirsium
Species:
C. flodmanii
Binomial name
Cirsium flodmanii
(Rydb.) Arthur
Synonyms[2]
  • Carduus flodmanii Rydb.
  • Carduus oblanceolatus Rydb.
  • Cirsium flodmanii f. oblanceolatum (Rydb.) D.Löve & J.-P.Bernard
  • Cirsium nebraskense var. discissum Lunell
  • Cirsium oblanceolatum (Rydb.) K.Schum.

Cirsium flodmanii is a perennial herb up to 140 cm (55 inches) tall. Leaves are up to 40 cm (16 inches) long, with numerous fine spines along the edges. Flowers are usually purple, occasionally white. The plant generally is found in grasslands and pastures.[3][5][6]

References edit

  1. ^ illustration from Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 3: 551.
  2. ^ "Cirsium flodmanii". The Global Compositae Checklist (GCC) – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. ^ a b Keil, David J. (2006). "Cirsium flodmanii". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 19. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. ^ "Cirsium flodmanii". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  5. ^ Arthur, Joseph Charles. Torreya 12(2): 34. 1912.
  6. ^ Rydberg, Per Axel. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden 1: 451. 1900.