SimplePlant

Asteraceae

Cotton thistle

Onopordum acanthium L.

Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Onopordum

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Cotton thistle: Habitus Taxonym: Onopordum acanthium ss Fischer et al. EfÖLS 2008 ISBN 978-3-85474-187-9 Location: next to Marchfeldkanal near Gerasdorf, district Korneuburg, L
Photo: Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (40)
Arabic
أقسون شوكي, راس الشيخ, شكاعي, طوية
Armenian
Կաղշնակ
arz
اقسون
Azerbaijani
Tikanlı çaqqalqanqalı
Belarusian
Татарнік калючы, Анаподыум калючы, Чартапалох, Чортавы пазуры, Чортавы пузуры
Bulgarian
Обикновен гингер, Гингер, Жълтеникав онопордум, Камилски бодил, Магарешки бодил, Магарешки трън
Catalan
Cardot gros
Chinese
大翅蓟, 大翅薊
Croatian
Magareći trn
Czech
Ostropes trubil
Danish
Æselfoder
Dutch
Wegdistel
English
Cotton thistle, Scotch cottonthistle
Esperanto
Ordinara onopordo
Estonian
Terav kroonohakas
Finnish
Okakruunuohdake, Kruunuohdake
French
Chardon aux ânes, Onoporde acanthe, Chardon aux anes, Onopordon faux-acanthe
frr
Fisel
Galician
Cardo asneiro
German
Eselsdistel, Gewöhnliche Eselsdistel, Gemeine Eselsdistel, Krampfdistel, Krebsdistel, Wolldistel
Greek
Γαϊδουράγκαθο
Hungarian
Szamárbogáncs
Italian
Cardo asinino
Japanese
ゴロツキアザミ
Kazakh
Тікенді шағыртікен
Kyrgyz
Кадимки коко
Lithuanian
Dygliuotoji kardažolė
Macedonian
Магарешки трн
Norwegian Bokmål
Eseltistel
nv
Hosh waaʼ
Persian
خار پنبه
Polish
Popłoch pospolity
Russian
Татарник колючий, Онопордум колючий, Ослиная трава, Татарник обыкновенный
sco
Horse-thristle, Scots Thistle, Scots Thristle
Serbian (Latin)
Magareći trn
Slovak
Ostropes obyčajný
Spanish
Acanos, Acanto bastardo, Acanto salvaje armado de espinas, Alcachofa borriquera, Alcachofa ruda, Alcachofa salvaje, Alcachofas borriqueñas, Anacarnina
Swedish
Ulltistel, Tistelborre
Ukrainian
Татарник звичайний
Welsh
Ysgallen gotwm

Synonyms

  • Acanos spina Scop.
  • Acanthium onopordon Gueldenst.
  • Onopordum acanthium var. acanthium

Characteristics

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

Photos

More in Onopordum

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.