Cirsium pulcherrimum var. pulcherrimum

Common names: Wyoming thistle
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 126. Mentioned on page 128, 152.

Stems from branched or unbranched rootstocks, 15–60 (–90) cm, bases often thickened. Adaxial leaf faces glabrous to thinly gray-tomentose. Heads often 4+, in ± elongate arrays. Cypselae often with stramineous apical collars. 2n = 34.


Phenology: Flowering summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat: Grasslands, sagebrush scrub, coniferous forest openings, roadsides, often in stony soil
Elevation: 1100–2400 m

Distribution

V19-89-distribution-map.gif

Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nebr., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Variety pulcherrimum occurs from eastern Montana and northeastern Utah across Wyoming in the Wyoming Basin, Rocky Mountains, and western Great Plains to northern Colorado and northwestern Nebraska. It is likely that it occurs in southeastern Idaho as well. In the online Atlas of the Vascular Flora of Wyoming, several localities are plotted for var. pulcherrimum in Lincoln County, close to the Idaho state line. R. E. Brooks (1986) included Idaho in the range of C. pulcherrimum; I have not seen documentation for such occurrence. Cirsium pulcherrimum (i.e., var. pulcherrimum) is included in the list of Nebraska Plants of Special Concern.

Variety pulcherrimum is known to hybridize with Cirsium eatonii var. murdockii in Wyoming.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"fine" is not a number."broad" is not a number.

gray +  and white +
villous +, glabrate +  and arachnoid-tomentose +
gray-tomentose +, less commonly +  and glabrous +
short-tailed +
spineless +  and twisted +
dentate +, entire +  and spine-tipped +
erect +  and spreading +
innermost +
rounded;acute +
scarious +
spreading +  and stiffly ascending +
linear-lanceolate +  and acicular +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
elongate +
David J. Keil +
(Rydberg) K. Schumann +
winged-petiolate +
decurrent +
Carduus pulcherrimus +
compound +  and simple +
spiny-dentate to regularly pinnatifid +  and spinulose +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
unlobed;linear;oblong oblanceolate or elliptic +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
10-nerved or 20-nerved +  and rugose +
tawny +  and white +
deep-seated +
Wyoming thistle +
actinomorphic +
pink +  and purple +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
tan +  and dark-brown +
compressed +  and ovoid +
fertile +  and bisexual +
Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, Utah +  and Wyo. +
1100–2400 m +
gray-canescent +  and glabrous +
pistillate +, staminate +  and neuter +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
Grasslands, sagebrush scrub, coniferous forest openings, roadsides, often in stony soil +
in 2-3-headed clusters in more or less congested flat-topped or racemiform arrays +  and singly +
indeterminate +
each +  and sessile +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2.7 cm27 mm <br />0.027 m <br />) +
glabrate +  and arachnoid-tomentose +
ovoid;campanulate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
sessile +  and petiolate +
glabrous +  and thinly gray-tomentose +
cauline +  and basal +
bristle-tipped +
ascending-spreading;retrorse +
linear +  and triangular-ovate +
slender +
lobed +, few +  and dentate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
usually lobed +  and dissected +
2-carpellate +
persistent +
1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
Flowering summer (Jun–Aug). +
middle +  and outer +
weakly to strongly +
papillate +  and smooth +
Just’s Bot. Jahresber. +
bearing subulate enations +, hairy +  and bristly +
flat;convex +
glutinous +
unbranched +  and branched +
tawny;white +
setiform +  and plumose +
exalbuminous +
subequal +
ascending +  and spreading +
flattened +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
spiny-winged +, simple +  and branched +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
ascending +  and erect +
glabrate +  and arachnoid-tomentose +
1 +  and few +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
appendaged +  and truncate +
dilated +  and swollen +
enlarged +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
Compositae +
deep-seated +
Cirsium pulcherrimum var. pulcherrimum +
Cirsium pulcherrimum +
variety +
cylindric +
expanded +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
bristly-dentate to coarsely +
slender +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
tree +, vine +, shrub +  and subshrub +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +