Perennials, Weeds > Cirsium > Cirsium pitcheri > Cirsium pitcheri
Cirsium pitcheri
Pitcher Thistle, Dune Thistle
Origin: North America including Ontario, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
| Family |
| Asteraceae |
| Genus |
| Cirsium |
| Species |
| pitcheri |
| Category |
| Perennials, Weeds |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A monocarpic herb that matures over a period from 3-11 years. It is ranked as nationally imperilled in Canada and Threatened in the United States of America. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| Pests |
| Prone to browsing by White-tailed Deer, Snowshoe Hare and Canada Goose. |
| Habitat |
| Pitcher Thistle is found in dune grassland communities dominated by Marram Grass (Ammophila breviligulata), Long- leaved Sand Reed (Calamovilfa longifolia var. magna), Great Lakes Wheat-grass (Elymus lanceolatus spp. psammophilus) or Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). |
| Flower Description |
| Clusters of spiny, urn shaped, creamy white to pink thistle-like flowers in early to mid-summer |
| Fruit Description |
| The seed is shiny and dark brown with a papas attached to assist in dispersal. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Pukaskwa National Park of Canada, Heron Bay, Ontario, Canada. |
| Propagation |
| By seed which appears viable for a period of three years, no known means of vegetative propagation exists. |
References
COSEWIC. 2010. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Pitcher’s Thistle Cirsium pitcheri in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. x + 32 pp. (www.sararegistry.gc.ca/status/status_e.cfm).
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