Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans)

Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans), Dolly Sods Wilderness

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Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans)

The Nodding Thistle (Carduus natans) is a member of the Asteraceae or Aster family.  It is a smooth or thinly hairy biennial which grows between 1- and 7-feet tall.  The leaves, which can be up to 10-inches long and 4-inches wide, are mostly smooth and deeply lobed.  The flower heads are up to 2-inches wide, usually nodding and solitary at the ends of very long stalks.  The flowers are reddish-purple.  The Nodding Thistle can be found in pastures, on roadsides and in waste places.  It is a native of Eurasia but has now become widely established in the US and Canada.  It flowers from May to November.

Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans), Dolly Sods Wilderness

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