Spear Thistle; Cardo negro

Biennial thistle up to 2 m high. The stem is winged, branched in the upper half, with longitudinal spine-tipped wings. The leaves are spined, grey-green, deeply lobed; the basal leaves up to 30 cm long and form a rosette. The upper part of the flower stem has small leaves. The leaf lobes are spear-shaped. The inflorescence is 2.5–5 cm diameter, pink-purple. The seeds have a downy pappus, which assists in wind dispersal.