Fish Lake thistle facts for kids

The Fish Lake thistle or fringed thistle (scientific name: Cirsium clavatum) is a type of plant found in North America. It belongs to the sunflower family, which is a large group of flowering plants. This specific thistle is native to the western United States. You can find it growing naturally in states like Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

What is a Thistle?

Thistles are a group of flowering plants known for their prickly leaves and stems. They often have beautiful, often purple, pink, or white, flower heads. Many thistles are found in dry, open areas. The Fish Lake thistle is one of these interesting plants.

About the Fish Lake Thistle

The Fish Lake thistle, or Cirsium clavatum, is a plant that can grow quite tall, up to about 100 centimeters (which is about 40 inches). It's known as a biennial or perennial herb. This means it either lives for two years (biennial) or for more than two years (perennial). However, it only blooms, or produces flowers, once in its lifetime before it dies.

What Does it Look Like?

• Leaves: The leaves of the Fish Lake thistle have thin spines along their edges. These spines are much smaller than those you might see on other types of thistles.
• Flowers: This plant produces several to many flower heads. These flower heads contain many tiny flowers called disc florets. They are usually white or a pale pink color. Unlike some other flowers in the sunflower family, the Fish Lake thistle does not have ray florets, which are the petal-like structures you see on a daisy or sunflower.

Where Does it Grow?

The Fish Lake thistle is found in the western parts of the United States. It has different varieties, which are like slightly different versions of the same plant. These varieties are found in specific areas:

• Cirsium clavatum var. americanum is found in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
• Cirsium clavatum var. clavatum is found in Colorado and Utah.
• Cirsium clavatum var. osterhoutii is found only in Colorado.