Asteraceae
Blessed milkthistle
Silybum marianum
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Silybum
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Common names
By language (56)
- Arabic
- سلبين مريمي, حرشف بري, خرشيف الجمل, شوك الجمل, شوك الدمن, شوك النصارى, عكوب, لحلاح
- Armenian
- Կաթնափուշ բծավոր
- arz
- سلبين مريمى
- Asturian
- Cardu marianu
- azb
- عادی آلاقانقال
- Azerbaijani
- Adi alaqanqal
- Basque
- Astalikardu
- Belarusian
- Растаропша плямістая
- Bulgarian
- Бял трън
- Catalan
- Card marià
- Chinese
- 水飞蓟, 乳蓟, 乳薊, 奶蓟, 水飞雉, 老鼠筋
- Croatian
- Marijin oslobod
- Czech
- Ostropestřec mariánský
- Dutch
- Mariadistel, Silymarin
- English
- Blessed milkthistle, Blessed thistle, Holy thistle, Marian thistle, Mary thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, Milk thistle, Milkthistle
- Esperanto
- Lakta kardo
- Estonian
- Harilik maarjaohakas
- Finnish
- Maarianohdake
- French
- Chardon-Marie
- Galician
- Cardo leiteiro, Cardo de María
- Georgian
- Ბაყაყურა
- German
- Mariendistel, Gewöhnliche Mariendistel, Christi Krone, Donnerdistel, Fieberdistel, Frauendistel, Heilandsdistel, Marienkörner
- Greek
- Γαϊδουράγκαθο
- Hebrew
- גדילן מצוי
- Hungarian
- Máriatövis
- Italian
- Carciofi selvatici, Carciofo selvatico, Cardi mariani, Cardo mariano
- Japanese
- マリアアザミ, オオアザミ, ミルクシスル
- kab
- Asennan n weɣyul
- Kazakh
- Alatiken, Алатікен, الاتىكەن
- Korean
- 밀크씨슬
- Kurdish
- Givzonik, گڤزۆنک
- kw
- Askall mogh
- lah
- لے
- Lithuanian
- Tikrasis margainis
- Macedonian
- Млечен трн
- Mongolian
- Мэригийн чонын өргөс
- mwl
- Silybum
- Norwegian Bokmål
- Mariatistel
- Occitan
- Cardet marian, Cardon de Maria
- Pashto
- مريم څڅ
- Persian
- خار مریم, خار علیص
- pms
- Sylibum marianum
- Polish
- Ostropest plamisty
- Romanian
- Armurariu
- Russian
- Расторопша пятнистая, Марьин чертополох, Остро-пестро
- Serbian
- Гујина трава
- Slovak
- Pestrec mariánsky
- Slovenian
- Pegasti badelj
- Spanish
- Bedegar, Cardanchos, Cardinchas, Cardo borde, Cardo de maria, Cardo pelotero, Cardos alcachoferos, Carduncho
- Swedish
- Mariatistelsläktet, Mariatistlar
- Tajik
- Хори каррок
- Ukrainian
- Розторопша плямиста
- Urdu
- مریم گوکھرد
- Uzbek
- Sutli qushqo'nmas
- Walloon
- Tcherdon Notru-Dame
- Welsh
- Ysgallen Fair
Synonyms
- Carduus lactifolius Stokes
- Carduus mariae Crantz
- Carduus marianus L.
- Carduus versicolor Salisb.
- Carthamus maculatus (Scop.) Lam.
- Centaurea dalmatica Fraas
- Cirsium maculatum Scop.
- Mariana mariana Hill
- Silybum maculatum (Scop.) Moench
- Silybum mariae Gray
- Silybum marianum var. albiflorum Eig
- Silybum marianum var. marianum
- Silybum pygmaeum Cass.
Flowers
- In flower
- April to June (from 10,389 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Annual, Biennial
- In the US and Canada
- Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced
Photos

FlowerPhoto: Peter de Lange, CC0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Chris Taklis, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: froggymum, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Chris Ecroyd, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
LeavesPhoto: Henry Miller, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
LeavesPhoto: Bob Walker, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Zeynel Cebeci, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Wildfeuer, CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Wildfeuer, CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: C T Johansson, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Justin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: The original uploader was Jeantosti at French Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Silybum
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.