musk thistle, nodding thistle
Carduus nutans L.
Description from Invasive.org
- Appearance
- Carduus nutans is an herbaceous, biennial plant that grows to 6 ft. (1.8 m) tall. The stem has very spiny wings. Carduus species may hybridize with each other.
- Foliage
- Leaves are green and lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate. They are often pinnatifid and are very prickly. Leaves are usually sessile to slightly clasping. Basal leaves are 4-16 in. (10-40 cm) long. Leaf characteristics are variable across different varieties and subspecies.
- Flowers
- Showy, solitary, hemispherical, red to purple, disk flowers bloom from June to September. Phyllaries are spinetipped and overlap with several rows.
- Fruit
- Fruits are small achenes, 1.52 in. (45 mm) long, about 0.04 in. (1 mm) in diameter, including a white to light brown pappus. The seeds have longitudinal dotted stripes.
- Ecological Threat
- Carduus nutans invades a variety of disturbed areas. Pastures are particularly at risk because It is unpalatable to livestock. Once established it can spread rapidly due to high seed production (as much as 120,000 seed per plant). Carduus nutans is native to Western Europe and was accidentally introduced into the United States in the early 1900s.
Resources
- Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States - USDA Forest Service
- Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - SE-EPPC
- Fire Effects Information System - USDA Forest Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Weed Field Guides - USDA Forest Service
Selected Images from Invasive.org
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Flower(s)
James R. Allison, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
James R. Allison, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Foliage basal rosette
Loke T. Kok, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org
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Loke T. Kok, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org
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Flower(s)
USDA APHIS PPQ - Oxford, North Carolina , USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org
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USDA APHIS PPQ - Oxford, North Carolina , USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org
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Stem(s) upper stem
Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org
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Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org
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Feature(s) Stem and foliage
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, , Bugwood.org
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Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, , Bugwood.org
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Plant(s) lower stem
Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org
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Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org
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Infestation A pile of fill dirt left over winter. The following spring, the pile was covered in musk thistles.
Kris Johnson, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Bugwood.org
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Kris Johnson, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Bugwood.org
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Infestation
Norman E. Rees, USDA Agricultural Research Service - Retired, Bugwood.org
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Norman E. Rees, USDA Agricultural Research Service - Retired, Bugwood.org
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Plant(s) Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 3: 554.
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
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