Common name:
Marsh thistle
Family:
Scientific name:
Cirsium palustre
Main flower color:
Range:
All regions of the UK
Height:
Up to 150 cm
Habitat:
Moist grassland, marshes, hedgebanks, woodland
Flowers:
Clustered, closely-spaced flowerheads at the tip of the stem branches. Flowerheads are around 1 cm in diameter, smaller than most other thistles, with purple/pink florets (occasionally all-white) and purple/green bracts. Bracts have short white hairs along the edges, a light-coloured midstripe, and a small spine at the tip, angled outwards. Stems have continuous spiny wings
Leaves:
Narrow, deeply pinnately lobed, up to 60 cm long at the base, lined by purplish spines of varying lengths. Upper leaf surfaces have a light covering of cottony hairs
Season:
July to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
