SimplePlant

Asteraceae

Blessed milkthistle

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.

Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Silybum

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Blessed milkthistle (Silybum marianum)
FlowerPhoto: Peter de Lange, CC0, from iNaturalist

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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

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.