Asteraceae

Whitespine thistle

Cirsium clokeyi S.F.Blake

Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cirsium

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Whitespine thistle: Cirsium eatonii var. clokeyi on South Loop ridge near Griffith Peak , Spring Mountains , southern Nevada — Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (1)

English: Whitespine thistle

Synonyms

Cirsium eatonii var. clokeyi (S.F.Blake) D.J.Keil

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Biennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Cirsium

Creeping thistleCirsium arvenseAsteraceae
Spear thistleCirsium vulgareAsteraceae
Marsh thistleCirsium palustreAsteraceae
Cabbage thistleCirsium oleraceumAsteraceae
Dwarf thistleCirsium acauleAsteraceae
Woolly thistleCirsium eriophorumAsteraceae
Melancholy thistleCirsium heterophyllumAsteraceae
Cirsium rivulareAsteraceae
Meadow thistleCirsium dissectumAsteraceae
Yellow melancholy thistleCirsium erisithalesAsteraceae
Cirsium spinosissimumAsteraceae
Cirsium tuberosumAsteraceae

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.