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Artichoke Thistle

Cynara cardunculus

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33.0641, -117.068

Field Notes

Description:

Tall dry plant with large head of seeds. It grows "0.8–1.5 m tall, with deeply lobed and heavily spined green to grey-green tomentose leaves up to 50 cm long, with yellow spines up to 3.5 cm long. The flowers are violet-purple, produced in a large, globose, massively spined capitulum up to 6 cm diameter. Cardoon stalks can be covered with small, nearly invisible spines that can cause substantial pain if they become lodged in the skin." - Wikipedia

Habitat:

Lake Hodges trail

Notes:

Aka Cardoon "The California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) lists plants that cause serious problems in native ecosystems. Cal-IPC classifies the statewide impact of Cynara cardunculus as moderate. Cynara cardunculus is also classified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture as a Noxious Weed List B: Control required in nurseries, control elsewhere at the discretion of local County Agricultural Commissioner." - CalFlora

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (1)

Looks like thistles (Cirsium sp.) that have gone to seed.

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