SLENDER THISTLE
Carduus Tenuiflorus
Daisy & Dandelion [Asteraceae] 
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Daisy & Dandelion [Asteraceae]
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flower
flower
inner
petals
stem
stem
stem
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| 31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Prefers growing near the sea. Branched, with thistle-heads atop each very spiny stem. |
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| 31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| View of Piel Island, with Barrow behind. Slender Thistles on the shore-line just above high tide. |
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| 31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Extremely prickly and spiny! Not for walking through wearing shorts! |
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| 16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Spiny stem covered in spiny leaves, and spiny welts. Flowers un-stalked in clusters of 3 to 10. |
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| 16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flowers pale pink to purple. |
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| 16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Sepals around the flower are tapered to a sharp point, and curve outwards in whorls. |
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| 31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| There is nowhere to hold this extremely prickly plant without getting punctured. |
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| 31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Outwardly curved sharply pointed yellowing green sepals. Inner sepals purple tipped. Disc florets not yet emerged. |
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| 16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Between the sharp spines is a cobweb of white threads |
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| 16th June 2009, Little Orme, North Wales Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Winged stems are actually welted, with the welt twisting one way then the other sinusoidally. Welts and stems have white cobweb hairs too. |
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| 31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Basal rosette of leaves of a young specimen. |
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| 31st May 2007, south Walney Island, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Milky-green leaves also covered in a thin veil of white cobweb-like threads, not to mention the spines on the well-toothed edges. |
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Easily mis-identified as : Can be mistaken for: Marsh Thistle because that also has flower-heads that seem to have no stalks, but the flowers are either much more deeper purple, or white with purple tips. Some similarities to : Creeping Thistle but that has more lilac flowers, which are stalked. Slender Thistle does not hybridise with any other thistle. ANY TEXT GOES HERE |
 Carduus (Thistles) |
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Daisy & Dandelion [Asteraceae]
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