Pasture Thistle
Growth habit
Herbaceous
Native distribution
Maine to South Carolina
Cultivation
A prickly plant with large purple flowers on 3-4' tall stems.
Light: full sun to part shade.
Moisture and Soil: well drained, can handle dry gravel.
Propagation
Seed Treatment and Storage: no special germination requirments.
Biocultural value
The young stalks make an excellent vegetable when peeled (being careful to remove the prickles) and boiled in salted water.
The statement above was sourced from:
Fernald, Merritt Lyndon, and Alfred Charles Kinsey Kinsey. 1958. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Wildlife value
The specialist thistle long-horned bee (Melissodes desponsa) collects pollen only from members of the genus Cirsium. Thistle seeds are eaten by songbirds.
Location
Source of plant
Unknown
Description
Cirsium pumilum is a biennial or perennial herb, lasting at least 2, but no longer than 5 years. While it does bear close resemblance to other Cirsium species, it can be distinguished from look-alikes by the unique combination of a stem that is both hairy and spineless. It grows in dry, sunny areas, from open woods to praires and sandy soils. Flowering differs slightly by variety, but occurs in the summer for both. The variety pumilum is usually highly branched with broad phyllaries, while the variety hillii has a more simple branching structure and very narrow phillaries. Both produce pink to purple flowers. Distribution is highly correlated with variety in this species. C. pumilum var. pumilum is found on the Atlantic coastal plain, whereas C. pumilum var. hillii is located in the northern inland prairies. As all Cirsium, it is protected in some states and eradicated in others because of its relation to invasive, weedy plants. Also like other Cirsium, it attracts certain desirable insects and birds, and is therefore a good addition to butterfly gardens.
USDA Hardiness Zone
4