Bull thistle
Not from here, and the spiny wings running down the stem are what name it.
In brief
Cirsium vulgare, Asteraceae.
- Biennial
- Introduced. Native to Europe, western Asia and north Africa
- Flowers June to September
- Fruit a seed on a plume
Where it grows
Grassland, roadsides and overgrazed ground across North America. It takes disturbed soil and open sun.
When it blooms
June to September, one large purple head to a stem tip.
Seed and fruit
A seed carrying a plume of fine white bristles, which is the white puff on a spent head.
Here
Photographed on August 30, 2026, in flower and in seed on the same plant.
California has native thistles and losing one to a weed program is a real cost, so the mark matters. Bull thistle runs spiny wings down the stem from each leaf base, which the photograph shows, and the involucre under the flower is a dense mat of spines. The native cobwebby thistle has a white cobwebby involucre and a stem with no wings on it.
It is a biennial, so cutting the stem before the seed flies ends that plant.
By Yggdrasil Springs
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