Arizona thistle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arizona thistle |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cirsium
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| Species: |
arizonicum
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| Synonyms | |
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Older Names
Carduus arizonicus (A.Gray) Greene
Cnicus arizonicus A.Gray Cirsium chellyense R.J.Moore & Frankton Cirsium chuskaense R.J.Moore & Frankton Cirsium navajoense R.J.Moore & Frankton Cirsium rothrockii (A.Gray) Petr. |
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The Arizona thistle, scientifically called Cirsium arizonicum, is a plant from the sunflower family. It grows naturally in North America, especially in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. You can find it in places like Arizona, parts of California, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua.
Contents
About the Arizona Thistle
The Arizona thistle is a herbaceous plant. This means it has soft, green stems, not woody ones like a tree. It can live for two years (this is called biennial) or for many years (this is called perennial).
Size and Appearance
This thistle can grow quite tall, from about 30 to 150 centimeters (about 1 to 5 feet). Its leaves are spiny and shaped like an oval with deep cuts. The leaves at the bottom of the plant are bigger, up to 40 centimeters long. The leaves higher up on the stem are much smaller, sometimes only 3 centimeters long.
Flowers and Blooming Time
The flowers of the Arizona thistle grow in a cluster called an inflorescence. Each flower cluster is about 3 to 4 centimeters long and 1.5 to 2 centimeters wide. The flowers can be red, pink, or purple. All the tiny flowers (called florets) in the cluster look similar.
A single Arizona thistle plant can have anywhere from one to a hundred flower clusters! You can see these thistles blooming from the middle of spring until the middle of fall.
Where It Grows
This plant likes to grow in mountain areas. It can be found at high elevations, from about 900 meters (around 3,000 feet) up to 3,600 meters (nearly 12,000 feet) above sea level.
Different Types of Arizona Thistle
Scientists have found five main types, or varieties, of the Arizona thistle. These varieties are slightly different from each other, often based on where they grow.
- Cirsium arizonicum var. arizonicum
* This type is found in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Sonora, and Chihuahua.
- Four Corners thistle (Cirsium arizonicum var. bipinnatum)
* This variety grows in the "Four Corners" region, where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah meet. It's also found in Sonora, Mexico.
- Navajo thistle (Cirsium arizonicum var. chellyense)
* You can find the Navajo thistle in Arizona and New Mexico.
- Rothrock's thistle (Cirsium arizonicum var. rothrockii)
* This type is common in Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora. It's special because it grows on both sides of the Grand Canyon and a little bit inside it.
- Desert mountains thistle (Cirsium arizonicum var. tenuisectum)
* This variety lives in the desert mountains of California, Nevada, and Sonora.
See also
In Spanish: Cirsium arizonicum para niños
