Cirsium vulgare
Common name
Scotch thistle
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CIRVUL
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial. Relatively open conditions are required for germination and establishment (West, 1996). Wasteland, roadsides, pastures, gardens, cultivated land, disturbed forest (Webb et al., 1988). Track edges, slips, barer ridges, under light gaps in the forest (West, 1996).
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland).
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Features
Taprooted biennial 50-150cm tall; stems branched and covered in fine cobweb-like hairs; prickles pale 4-10mm long; purple flowers 28-33mm long (Webb et al., 1988). The flowers are clustered at the end of the stem and the numerous wind-dispersed seeds (West, 1996).
Flowering
November, December, January, February, March
Flower colours
Red/Pink, Violet/Purple
Year naturalised
1867
Origin
Eurasia, N. Africa
Etymology
cirsium: A kind of thistle
Reason For Introduction
Accidental
Life Cycle Comments
Biennial. A rosette of leaves is formed in the first year of growth and a flower-bearing stem is formed in the second year (West, 1996).
Dispersal
Wind (West, 1996).