WOOLLY THISTLE

Cirsium Eriophorum

Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

A single sturdy stem bears half-a-dozen flower heads at the summit.

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

The leaves are narrow and linear with single-fractal narrow linear branches.

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

There are long thin buff-coloured spines at the end of each leaflet, which are themselves covered in short whitish hairs.

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

The flowers themselves consist of a tight torus of spines wrapped in purple florets but for the short end. Each spine is entwined in a mesh of fine woolly hairs.

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

The head is almost spherical, apart from the slightly flattened pole where the Fibonacci spiral of spines begins.

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

Fibonacci spiral of spines around a torus likens to a Black Hole.

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

Each spine is en-snarled in a tangled net of fine white hairs each connected to its nearest neighbouring spines many fold. There exist some voids between the spines where few fibres cross.

11th July 2006, Golden Valley, Betchcott Hills, Church Stretton, Shropshire.

Photo: © RWD

Leaves are dark green, linear, 1-pinnate with a sharp thin spine at the tip.

Hybridises with: Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) to produce Cirsium × grandiflorum Distinguishing Feature : Amongst thistles, this one has flower heads with a tight toroidal 'sphere' of spines entwined in a mesh of fine white woolly hairs. These spines have a short purple sleeve near the tip: the florets.

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Distribution
family8Daisy family8Dandelion family8Asteraceae

BSBI maps

Cirsium