FNPS Plant Database

Cirsium horridulum

Purple thistle, yellow thistle
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Purple thistle, yellow thistle

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Cirsium horridulum

Family:

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1-4 ft tall by 1-2 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

regionally variable: white, pink, purple, yellow

Fruit Color:

white

Phenology:

Overwinters as a basal rosette. Blooms in spring.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Thorns, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Natural landscapes including meadows and butterfly gardens.

Considerations:

Purple thistle is a thorny plant - be very careful when handling.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Readily self seeds. Following pollination the flower head can be bagged to collect the seed head which follows.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Somewhat long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

6.1 - 7.8

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Birds



  • Larval host to little metalmark ( Calephelis virginiensis ) and painted lady ( Vanessa cardui ) butterflies.


  • Nectar source for native butterflies and bumblebees.  Bees documented in Florida include   Evylaeus pectoralis, Halictus ligatus, Lithurgzcs gibbosus, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis , and the non-native Apis mellifera (honeybee) (Deyrup et al. 2002).


  • Beetles eat the flowers. 


  • Provides nesting material for some native bees (based on information provided by the Xerces Society to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center )


The seeds are rich in oil, an important food source for seed-eating birds. 

Native Habitats:

coastal plain, edges of salt marshes, pinewoods, prairies and disturbed areas.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Members of the Seminole tribe used parts of this plant to make blowgun darts.

General Comments:

Citations:

Xerces Society



Hammer, Roger. 2015.  Attracting hummingbirds and butterflies in tropical Florida.  University Presses of Florida.



salt tolerance and salt spray tolerance:  IRC - Natives for Your Neighborhood (regionalconservation.org)



Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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