Long-style thistle facts for kids

The Cirsium longistylum, also known as the long-style thistle, is a type of plant found in North America. It belongs to the thistle group within the large sunflower family. This special plant grows only in the central part of Montana in the United States. You can find it in the Rocky Mountains, specifically in areas like the Big Belt, Castle, Elkhorn, and Little Belt mountain ranges.

What is the Long-Style Thistle?

The long-style thistle is a plant that can live for two years (this is called a biennial) or for many years (this is called a perennial). It can grow quite tall, up to 150 centimeters (about 5 feet). It has a large main root, called a taproot, which helps it get water and nutrients from deep in the soil.

Its Leaves and Stems

The leaves of this thistle can be up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) long. They are green on the top side. But on the underside, they look gray or white because they are covered in many soft, woolly hairs. The edges of the leaves also have sharp spines, which are typical for thistle plants.

Its Unique Flowers

The long-style thistle has a few flower heads. Each flower head is made up of many tiny white flowers. These tiny flowers are called disc florets. Unlike some other plants in the sunflower family, this thistle does not have large, petal-like flowers (which are called ray florets).

The name "long-style thistle" comes from a special part of its flowers. Each tiny white flower has a long, white part called a style. These styles stick out from the flowers much further than the petals (which are called corollas). This gives the plant a unique look.