scotch thistle vs bull thistle

The Silybum marianum plant goes by many different names, including Scotch thistle, holy thistle, Mary thistle, variegated thistle, and milk thistle. Like nettles, thistles have been prescribed for toothaches, as a restorative tonic, and to impart warmth through their counterirritant action. Canada thistle has been on the Noxious Weed List since 1873. Solutions are posted to the . The spread of non-native thistles presents environmental and agricultural problems that people expend great effort to address. Acta Oecologica 24(2):77-86. UNL web framework and quality assurance provided by the, Visit the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Apply to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Give to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Nebraska Extension: Community Environment, http://www.livestockforlandscapes.com/about.htm, A thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. We have 10 species of thistle in Nebraska, 5 native (tall, Platte, Flodman's, yellowspine, and wavyleaf) and 5 non-native (plumeless, musk, Canada, bull, and Scotch). Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae.Prickles can also occur all over the plant – on the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. This plant often grows as a biennial. FIGURE 4. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a GIS graduate certificate. Photos by Matt Lavin, MSU. The Value of Native Thistles Native thistles provide highly valuable food resources for a wide variety of insects, including: honey bees, bumble bees, long horned bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees, syrphid flies, butterflies, hawk moths, soldier beetles, leaf beetles, scarab beetles, and parasitoid wasps. A) Bracts small and leaf-like, purple tipped, and collectively less than 0.8 inches high, unlike all other thistles except spiny plumeless (exotic, p. 8) and Wyoming thistle (native, p. 15); heads are 0.3-0.5 inches This article focuses on why we should keep native thistles around and start thinking of them as "wildflowers" rather than "weeds". The Bull thistle was used by early humans as a warm medicinal tea. Our native thistles tend to get a bad reputation right along with the non-natives even though native thistles do not typically exhibit the same invasive, weedy tendencies. To the best of my knowledge, there are no fully reliable physical characteristics to distinguish all native thistles from non-native thistles, but in general, native thistles tend to be less spiny with the spines more localized on leaf margins. Foliage is hairy, lobed with prickles, and has a dark bluish-green color.. Schuster, M., and T.S. Scotch thistle can be confused with bull thistle (Cirsium vulgaris), which is also sometimes called "Scotch thistle" and is much more common in western Washington. Scotch thistle, Gary Stone photo. The leaf margins of a flowering bull thistle plant (a) are tipped with spines, and the stems have spiny wings. Open Fields and Waters land west of Ainsworth, Brown County. 80% to 90% of seeds remain viable for five years and they are spread far and wide by water, wind, wildlife, and human activity. Working in partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Bull thistle is a Class C Noxious Weed in Washington, first listed in 1988. Native herbivorous insects can do the most damage to invasive thistles when both the native and non-native thistle have similar growth and bloom periods. Lobes on leaves are tipped with stout spines. Public and private landowners are not required to control infestations of bull thistle that occur on their property in King County. Image from NEBRASKAland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. They can grow anywhere from 7.5 to 30 cm long. Small mammals such as thirteen-lined ground squirrels, mice, rabbits, and moles also feed on thistles. Scotch thistle differs from bull thistle as it has larger yet fewer flowerheads, lacks basal leaves and has dense woolly hairs on its leaves; giving it a silvery appearance. Figure 2. ... Scotch thistle is a slow-growing biennial. Erect foliage and flower stems are formed the second year. She also has some experience with habitat improvement projects. Biennial thistles, such as musk (Carduus nutans L.), plumeless (Carduus acanthoides L.) and bull thistle [Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Tenore], are not as difficult to control as the perennial thistle species, but spread rapidly and can become severe problems in some areas. The next time you jump on your ATV to address noxious and invasive vegetation on your property please give some thought to which thistle you target and which ones you leave. Scotch thistle Pacific Northwest Extension Publication PNW 569. Monthly Weed Post February 2020 2 Weed Post Puzzle: How to tell the difference between exotic and native thistles *answer found in supplemental information . Onopordum acanthium. But that’s where the resemblance ends. Prevalence and impact of the crown fly, Botanophila spinosa, on its host thistle, Onopordum acanthium, in southern France. Habitat. Some parts of this site work best with JavaScript enabled. A lot of information is available about the need to get rid of invasive thistles and how to do it. Bull, musk, plumeless, and Scotch thistle (left to right). Many insects feed on the leaves, stems, flowers and seeds, while some songbirds also feed on thistle seeds. Not only does the goldfinch pull the seeds out to eat; it also uses the thistle down (the pappus) to line its nest. Biennial thistles spread only by seed (achenes) that are produced in great number by all the noxious species, ran… One variety, the Scotch thistle, sports purple flowers and prickly leaves and has become the national emblem of Scotland. Many species of thistles have edible roots, inner stems, young leaves, young inner parts of flower buds and seeds. Native thistles provide food for songbirds such as American goldfinch, indigo bunting, pine siskin, dark-eyed junco, several species of sparrow, and ruby-throated hummingbird. Erin is stationed in Chadron, Nebraska. Occasionally, in disturbed sites, native thistles such as Flodman's thistle, can form localized stands, but are less likely to expand than non-native thistles. However, Scotch thistle (and other biennials like it) does have some capacity to regrow if it is injured (like perennial weeds) by forming multi-rosettes from buds located at the base of e… Figure 2A. Overview Information Scotch thistle is a plant. The goldfinch is particularly attracted to the thistle. Yellow thistle (Cir-sium horridulum), See 3C and 6C on pages 3 and 6. Nettles are commonly of the family Urticaceae, and their tiny hairs release an irritant that gives them the name stinging nettle. Question: Is a thistle the same as a nettle, and do they both sting? Most of the non-natives have hairless or sparsely haired leaves. Legend has it that in the tenth century, the invading Danes gave themselves away by their screams when they tried to steal away barefoot through a dry moat full of thistles. Bull thistle thrives in sunny areas in a variety of soil types and conditions. Bull thistle gene… This thistle doesn't have the milky striping, and its leaves are hairier than Italian or milk thistle. Native thistles also provide nesting sites for cavity nesting bees, which are known to use the stalks of thistles. Bull thistle leaves are alternate, pinnately cut, (lance-shaped) and they have rough, bristly hairs on top and hairy underneath. Italian thistle Yellow starthistle Bull thistle (Blessed) milkthistle Scotch thistle Tocalote (Malta starthistle) Canada thistle All of these species are found at least one of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, or Tulare Counties. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) (Figure 2) has been present in Oklahoma for more than 40 years and occurs statewide. Each plant produces 70 to 300 flowers and up to 40,000 seeds annually. It can also be found in over-grazed sites, roadsides, and riparian areas. Musk thistle (Carduus nutans), See 4D and 5D on pages 4 and 5. Identification •Many species start as a basal rosette in fall thistles also feed on bull thistle. Contrary to the name, Canada thistle did not come into the U.S. from our northern neighbor, but rather was introduced in the 17th century from the Mediterranean region and southeast Europe. Figure 2B. Many of these herbivorous insects that feed on native thistles also feed on non-native thistles and may help suppress thistle invasions. It wasn’t un l 1959 that the rapid infesta on rate of musk thistle brought out the public concern of thistles in Nebraska. We have 10 species of thistle in Nebraska, 5 native (tall, Platte, Flodman's, yellowspine, and wavyleaf) and 5 non-native (plumeless, musk, Canada, bull, and Scotch). Thistles are also an important resource for native herbivorous insects that feed on their leaves, stems, and flowers. Flowers are larger than Canada thistle, developing to 1 inch tall and wide. ---Description---It is a biennial, flowering in late summer and autumn. Scotch thistle has been found growing in a number of western Washington counties but the sites are generally small and isolated. Description . All biennial thistles considered noxious are native to Europe or Eurasia, and were introduced into North America as seed contaminants. Unfortunately, some of that effort may be unnecessary since it is often directed at eradicating all thistles indiscriminately. Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly on Flodman's thistle. Thistle Identification Telling thistle species apart can be difficult. Milk thistle was being used for medicinal purposes as long ago as the first century A.D. The large flower heads and flower density of many native thistles encourages greater visitation by pollinators. Common name(s): Bull thistle, spear thistle Scientific name: Cirsium vulgare Family: Sunflower or Aster family (Asteraceae) Reasons for concern: This aggressive and persistent species can quickly take over both disturbed and unattended areas, and outcompete native species, reducing plant diversity and wildlife habitat. BONUS: You’ll also receive our Almanac Companion newsletter! For example, non-native bull thistle and native tall thistle share over 80% of their herbivore community. As nouns the difference between thistle and burdock is that thistle is any of several perennial composite plants, especially of genera cirsium'', ''carduus'', ''cynara or , having prickly leaves and showy flower heads with prickly bracts while burdock is any of the species of biennial thistles in the genus arctium . It is much more common in counties on the east side of the Cascades. Coordinating Wildlife Biologist. It can form huge monocultures and is very difficult to eradicate. Though bull thistle is difficult to contain, frequent mowing before it flowers can help keep it under control. The Bull thistle also provides seeds to granivores (consumers of grains and seeds) such as goldfinches. Answer: Both thistles and nettles have been called the devil’s plant or devil’s vegetable because of their thorns, and both are considered prickly weeds, although they’re often used medicinally. It is used as medicine. Plumeless and Scotch thistles are listed as noxious weeds in both Arizona and New Mexico. Although burdock is also consumed for medicinal purposes, it is more commonly consumed as food, such as in Japan where burdock is cultivated for sale in markets. Those pink or purple flowered prickly plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) that tend to evoke feelings of antagonism and strong dislike. Legend has it that at some point during a 13. The Scotch Thistle, or Cotton Thistle (Onopordon Acanthium) is one of the most beautiful of British plants, not uncommon in England, by roadsides and in waste places, particularly in chalky and sandy soils in the southern counties. The nectar and pollen of native thistles are incredibly valuable food sources to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. It rarely reaches infestation levels that justify treatment, probably because the insects that feed on native Circium spp. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Scotch thistle is a biennial weed, so it depends quite heavily on establishment from seed on a regular basis if it is to be found commonly in any particular situation. It has spiny-winged stems, and its flowers are classic onion-shaped thistle flowers. Culturally we really just don't like thistles. Scotch thistle is … After earning her Bachelor’s Degree, she worked for the Forest Service in Arizona, Oregon State University and Boise State University’s Raptor Research Center conducting surveys for Mexican and Northern Spotted Owl, Northern Goshawk, Golden Eagle and other raptors. Many native thistles also have thick, white hairs on the underside of leaves, giving the leaves a two-toned appearance; light on bottom, darker on top. Landowners and homeowners realize this plant was a serious problem and needed to be controlled. Scotch thistle is found in any type of habitat but normally establishes quickly in disturbed areas dominated by annual plants such as cheatgrass. Prather. This thistle plant I’m testing is a bull thistle, and the spines are huge and rigid. Scotch thistle (Ono-pordum acanthium), See 4E and 5E on pages 4 and 5. Native thistles are usually found as single plants or in small clumps rather than the expansive stands often formed by non-native thistles. 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Thistle also provides seeds to granivores ( consumers of grains and seeds with habitat improvement.! Occurs statewide have spiny wings smooth to sparsely woolly below ; giving a green appearance as cheatgrass trained to Canada.

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