SimplePlant

Asteraceae

Virginia thistle

Cirsium virginianum Michx.

Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Cirsium

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

Virginia thistle (Cirsium virginianum)
FlowerPhoto: Michael A. Thaibinh, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (1)
English
Virginia thistle

Synonyms

  • Carduus revolutus Small
  • Carduus virginianus L.
  • Cirsium revolutum Petr.
  • Cirsium virginianum f. revolutum (Small) Fernald
  • Cirsium virginianum f. virginianum
  • Cirsium virginianum var. virginianum

Characteristics

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

Photos

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.