Cirsium eatonii, commonly known as Eaton's thistle or mountaintop thistle, is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.[2][3]

Cirsium eatonii
Cirsium eatonii var. clokeyi
in Southern Nevada

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. eatonii
Binomial name
Cirsium eatonii
Synonyms[1]
Synonymy
  • Carduus leiocarpus A.Heller
  • Carduus leiocephalus (D.C.Eaton) A.Heller
  • Cirsium eatonii var. harrisonii S.L.Welsh
  • Cirsium eriocephalum var. leiocephalum D.C.Eaton
  • Cnicus eatonii A.Gray
  • Carduus hookerianus var. eriocephalus (A.Gray) A.Nelson, syn of var. eriocephalum
  • Carduus scopulorum Greene, syn of var. eriocephalum
  • Cirsium eriocephalum A.Gray 1864 not Wallr. 1840, syn of var. eriocephalum
  • Cirsium hookerianum var. eriocephalum (A.Gray) A.Nelson, syn of var. eriocephalum
  • Cirsium scopulorum (Greene) Cockerell, syn of var. eriocephalum
  • Cirsium scopulorum (Greene) Cockerell ex Daniels, syn of var. eriocephalum
  • Cnicus eriocephalus A.Gray, syn of var. eriocephalum
  • Carduus hesperius A.Heller, syn of var. hesperium
  • Carduus hookerianus var. hesperius (Eastw.) A.Nelson, syn of var. hesperium
  • Cirsium hesperium (Eastw.) Petr., syn of var. hesperium
  • Cnicus hesperius Eastw., syn of var. hesperium
  • Carduus polyphyllus Rydb., syn of var. murdockii
  • Carduus tweedyi Rydb., syn of var. murdockii
  • Cirsium murdockii (S.L.Welsh) Cronquist, syn of var. murdockii
  • Cirsium polyphyllum (Rydb.) Petr., syn of var. murdockii
  • Cirsium tweedyi (Rydb.) Petr., syn of var. murdockii
  • Cirsium peckii L.F.Hend., syn of var. peckii

The species has been found in Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and Colorado.[4]

Description

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Cirsium eatonii is highly variable. It is an erect herb up to 150 cm (60 inches or 5 feet) tall in some populations. The entire foliage is more or less spiny. One plant produces several flower heads with pink to purple or yellow flowers. The species grows at high elevations in grasslands, sagebrush steppes, open savannahs, etc.[3]

Varieties[1][3]

A number of varieties have been identified, which include:

 
Var. eriocephalum in northern New Mexico.

References

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  1. ^ a b The Plant List, Cirsium eatonii (A.Gray) B.L.Rob.
  2. ^ "Cirsium eatonii". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "Cirsium eatonii". Flora of North America. efloras.org. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Cirsium eatonii (A. Gray) B.L. Rob". USDA PLANTS database. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  5. ^ "NatureServe Explorer". NatureServe Explorer Cirsium eatonii var. clokeyi. NatureServe. 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
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