Franciscan thistle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Franciscan thistle |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Cirsium
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| Species: |
andrewsii
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The Cirsium andrewsii, also called the Franciscan thistle, is a rare type of thistle. This plant is special because it is endemic to California. This means it naturally grows only in California and nowhere else in the world.
You can find the Franciscan thistle along the coast of the San Francisco Bay Area. It grows in places like Marin and San Mateo Counties. Some small groups of these thistles have also been seen in the Klamath Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.
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Where the Franciscan Thistle Lives
The Franciscan thistle likes to grow in coastal areas. It often lives on sea bluffs, which are steep cliffs by the ocean. It also grows in canyons near the coast.
Sometimes, you can find this thistle growing in a special type of ground called serpentine soil. This soil is unique and only certain plants can grow well in it.
What the Franciscan Thistle Looks Like
The Franciscan thistle has a tall, straight stem that is full of leaves. This stem can grow up to two meters (about 6.5 feet) tall. It has many branches, making it look dense and bushy.
When the plant is new, it feels a bit fleshy and has a cobweb-like covering of fibers. Its leaves are also woolly or cobwebby. They have sharp spines along their edges. Some leaves might not have deep cuts or lobes.
The leaves grow on stalks called petioles. These stalks have spiny edges, and some of the spines can be longer than a centimeter.
Flowers and Seeds
The plant produces one or more flower heads. Each flower head can be up to 3 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide. They are covered in wispy, cobweb-like fibers.
The flower heads are surrounded by very spiny leaf-like parts called phyllaries. Inside, you will find many dark purplish-pink flowers. These flowers can be about 2.5 centimeters long.
After the flowers bloom, the plant makes fruit. The fruit is a small, dark brown seed called an achene. It is about half a centimeter long. Each seed has a feathery top called a pappus, which is about 1.5 centimeters long. This pappus helps the seeds float away in the wind.
Life Cycle of the Franciscan Thistle
The Franciscan thistle can be a biennial or a perennial plant.
- A biennial plant lives for two years. It grows leaves in the first year and then flowers, produces seeds, and dies in the second year.
- A perennial plant lives for more than two years. It can grow and flower year after year.
See also
In Spanish: Cirsium andrewsii para niños
