Cirsium nuttallii facts for kids

Cirsium nuttallii, also known as Nuttall's thistle, is a plant found in North America. It is part of the sunflower family, which includes many types of thistles. This plant grows naturally in the coastal areas of the southeastern and south-central United States. You can find it from eastern Texas to southeastern Virginia.

About Nuttall's Thistle

Nuttall's thistle is a tall plant. It can grow up to 350 centimeters (almost 12 feet) high. This plant has a large taproot, which is a main root that grows straight down.

What It Looks Like

The leaves of Nuttall's thistle can be very long, up to 60 centimeters (24 inches). The top side of the leaves is green. The underside is gray or white because it has many soft, woolly hairs. The edges of the leaves have sharp spines.

This thistle has a few flower heads. Each flower head has many small flowers called disc florets. These florets can be white, pink, purple, or lavender. Unlike some other flowers in the sunflower family, Nuttall's thistle does not have ray florets, which are the petal-like parts you see on a daisy or sunflower.

How It Grows

Nuttall's thistle can grow in two ways. It can be a biennial plant, meaning it lives for two years. In the first year, it grows leaves close to the ground. In the second year, it grows tall, flowers, produces seeds, and then dies.

It can also be a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. Perennial plants often grow back from their roots each spring.