Common Name: Bank Thistle, Bell Thistle, Common Thistle, Plume Thistle, Spear Thistle, Scotch Thistle

Scientific Name: Cirsium vulgare

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower)

Origins: Eurasia

Flowering Time: June to September

Habitat: /roadsides, pastures, and waste places.

Range: Found throughout North America, not including parts of the far north. Stems can be peeled and steamed or boiled. Young tap roots can be eaten raw or cooked.

Use: Used as rabbit bait in Australia. National flower of Scotland.

Sources:

Cirsium – Thistle – Edible Weeds and Bush Tucker Plant Foods. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.survival.org.au/bf_cirsium.php

Niering, William A., Nancy C. Olmstead, and John W. Thieret. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. Print.

Ohio Weedguide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/single_weed.php?id=99