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Melancholy Thistle

Melancholy Thistle

Cirsium heterophyllum

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How common: Very common

Melancholy Thistle is a tall, upright thistle with big purple, brush‑like flower heads and hardly any spines. It is a long‑lived plant of damp, nutrient‑rich places across northern Europe and western Asia, often seen in meadows, road verges and open woodland. The leaves are green above and woolly white underneath, giving a two‑tone look.

Did you know?

  • Unusual for a thistle, it is almost spineless and feels soft to the touch.
  • Its name comes from old lore: in the 1600s it was said to lift the spirits.

About the species

Identification

Perennial, 40–120 cm tall, with a sturdy, mostly unbranched, grooved stem covered in pale fuzz. Basal leaves are large with a leaf stalk; upper leaves clasp the stem, often with a heart‑shaped base. Leaf edges are finely toothed with short soft tips, not harshly prickly; upper side green and smooth, underside densely white‑woolly. Flower heads are usually single or a few, 3–5 cm, reddish purple (rarely white), in mid to late summer. Seeds carry a long silky plume. Tell it from spiny thistles by the soft leaves, white undersides, few spines, and single large heads. Flowers in July–August.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

herb-rich forest

Flowering

Jul–Aug

About the habitat

Grows in damp meadows and grasslands, ditches and stream sides, rich fens, springs, and lush or open woodland; also along roadsides. Common throughout the country.

Sources

Photo: Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cirsium heterophyllum 5 RF.jpg

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39887

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Tunturit: tunturikoivikot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39887

Text: Pinkka: IPS-153 Flora of Subarctic Europe - Carex-Cirsium, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39887

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Tunturit: tunturiniityt, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39887

Text: Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_heterophyllum

See also