Cirsium carolinianum facts for kids

Cirsium carolinianum, also known as the Carolina thistle, purple thistle, soft thistle, or smallhead thistle, is a type of plant found in North America. It belongs to the thistle group within the large sunflower family. This plant is native to the central and southern parts of the United States.

What is the Carolina Thistle?

The Carolina thistle is a plant that grows for two years. This means it sprouts from a seed in its first year and then flowers and produces seeds in its second year before it dies. It can grow quite tall, sometimes reaching up to 180 centimeters (about 6 feet).

Where Does it Grow?

You can find the Carolina thistle in the central and southern United States. Its natural home stretches from eastern Texas all the way east to Virginia and the Carolinas. It also grows north into the Ohio Valley.

What Does it Look Like?

The Carolina thistle has a main root called a taproot, which grows straight down into the ground. Its leaves have small, thin spines along their edges. These spines are much smaller and less prickly than those on many other thistle plants.

Its Flowers

This plant usually has several flower heads. These flower heads are made up of many tiny flowers. The flowers are typically pinkish-purple, but sometimes you might find white ones. Unlike some other flowers in the sunflower family, the Carolina thistle does not have large, petal-like flowers around the edge. Instead, it only has the small, tube-shaped flowers in the center.