Northern Beaches FloraBaby Sun Rose Blowfly Grass (Briza maxima) Bottlebrushes Coastal Morning Glory (Ipomoea indica) Cyathea cooperi Grevillea ‘Peaches and Cream’ Grevillea Poorinda Royal Mantle Native Violet Norfolk Pine Ochna Pigface Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) Scurvy Weed Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) Spiny-headed Mat-rush
Cirsium vulgare is native to Europe, northern Africa, western Asia, Pakistan and China, having also naturalised in USA, Canada, South America and across some of the Pacific Island. It is also found in New Zealand and has established a wide distribution through southern and eastern parts of Australia.
Cirsium vulgare is a spiny herbaceous biennial, that is much branched, can grow up to 1.5 metres in height. Found growing in pastures, abandoned fields, areas along roadsides, railroads, and other disturbed waste areas.
Common name
Spear Thistle, Bank Thistle, Blue Thistle, Black Thistle, Green Thistle, Boar Thistle, Bull Thistle, Bird Thistle, Bur Thistle, Button Thistle, Common Thistle, Common Bull Thistle, Fuller’s Thistle, Plume Thistle, Roadside Thistle and Swamp Thistle. It is also sometimes mistakenly called Scotch Thistle.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Charophyta
- Class: Equisetopsida
- Subclass: Magnoliidae
- Superorder: Asteranae
- Order: Asterales
- Family: Asteraceae
- Genus: Cirsium
- Species: Cirsium vulgare
Footnote & References
- Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare), NSW WeedWise, Department of Primary Industries, https://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/Spearthistle
- Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., Black Thistle, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Cirsium vulgare
Northern Beaches FloraBaby Sun Rose Blowfly Grass (Briza maxima) Bottlebrushes Coastal Morning Glory (Ipomoea indica) Cyathea cooperi Grevillea ‘Peaches and Cream’ Grevillea Poorinda Royal Mantle Native Violet Norfolk Pine Ochna Pigface Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) Scurvy Weed Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) Spiny-headed Mat-rush
Northern BeachesNorthern Beaches Fauna Northern Beaches Flora
New South WalesNew South Wales Fauna New South Wales Flora Barunguba Montague Island Blue Mountains Bourke Bundeena Central Coast Kosciuszko National Park Lower North Shore Lightning Ridge Mount Kaputar National Park Northern Beaches Sapphire Coast Snowy Mountains Region South Coast Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden Sydney