Asteraceae

Field thistle

Cirsium discolor (Muhl. ex Willd.) Spreng.

Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cirsium

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Field thistle: Cirsium discolor at the James Woodworth Prairie Preserve — Photo: George F Mayfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Field thistle

Synonyms

Carduus discolor (Muhl. ex Willd.) Nutt.
Cirsium altissimum f. discolor (Muhl. ex Willd.) Voss
Cirsium discolor f. discolor
Cnicus altissimus f. albiflora Britton
Cnicus altissimus var. discolor (Muhl. ex Willd.) A.Gray
Cnicus discolor Muhl. ex Willd.

Characteristics

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

Photos

Photo: George F Mayfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: George F Mayfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Fritz Flohr Reynolds, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Fritz Flohr Reynolds, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Aaron Carlson, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Frank Mayfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Joshua Mayer, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: DouglasGoldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: DouglasGoldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Cirsium

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.