Onopordum tauricum
Encyclopedia
Onopordum tauricum is a species of thistle
. It is native to Eurasia and is known in the western United States as an introduced species
. It easily becomes a noxious weed, similar to its relative, Onopordum acanthium.
This is a biennial herb producing a sticky, glandular, very spiny stem up to 2 meters tall. The spiny, bright light green leaves are up to 25 centimeters long and are divided into triangular lobes. The inflorescence
is made up of several large flower head
s each up to 7 centimeters wide. They are lined with long, spiny phyllaries
and bear pink-purple tubular flowers up to 3 centimeters long.
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
. It is native to Eurasia and is known in the western United States as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
. It easily becomes a noxious weed, similar to its relative, Onopordum acanthium.
This is a biennial herb producing a sticky, glandular, very spiny stem up to 2 meters tall. The spiny, bright light green leaves are up to 25 centimeters long and are divided into triangular lobes. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is made up of several large flower head
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
s each up to 7 centimeters wide. They are lined with long, spiny phyllaries
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
and bear pink-purple tubular flowers up to 3 centimeters long.