Cirsium virginianum

(Linnaeus) Michaux

Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 90. 1803.

Common names: Virginia thistle
Endemic
Basionym: Carduus virginianus Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 824. 1753
Synonyms: Carduus revolutus Small Cirsium revolutum (Small) Petrak
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 118. Mentioned on page 98.

Biennials or perennials, 60–150 (–200) cm; crown sprouts from cluster of fibrous-roots, these often tuberous-thickened. Stems usually single, erect, thinly appressed-tomentose, ± glabrate in age; branches 0–few in distal 1/3, ascending. Leaves very numerous, firm-textured, blades 3–15 cm, thick, ± rigid, linear or linear-elliptic, 0.5–2 cm wide and spinulose, or narrowly ovate, 2–4 cm wide, deeply lobed, lobes remote, spreading, separated by broad sinuses, few toothed or lobed, margins often revolute, main spines slender, 3–5 (–9) mm, abaxial faces white-tomentose, adaxial green, glabrous or thinly tomentose; basal usually absent at flowering, winged-petiolate; proximal cauline usually absent at flowering, well separated, winged-petiolate; middle and distal numerous (30–70+), sessile, well distributed, gradually reduced distally, bases tapered, not decurrent; distal linear, entire or few lobed, ca. 1 cm. Heads 1–10+ in open, corymbiform or paniculiform arrays. Peduncles 10–15 cm (not overtopped by distal leaves). Involucres ovoid to cylindric or narrowly campanulate, 1.7–2.4 × 1–2 cm, glabrous or outer phyllaries very thinly tomentose. Phyllaries in 8–13 series, strongly imbricate, light green to brownish with dark apices, ovate (outer) to narrowly linear-elliptic (inner), abaxial faces with evident, narrow glutinous ridge; outer and middle appressed, bodies entire, apices erect or spreading, muticous to short-spinose, spines ascending to spreading, weak, 1–2 mm; apices of inner all straight and entire or innermost ± flexuous, erose. Corollas purple, 21–26 mm, tubes 8.5–11 mm, throats 6–8 mm (noticeably wider than tubes), lobes 4–8 mm; style tips 3.5–5 mm. Cypselae dark-brown, 4–5 mm, apical collars yellowish, 0.5–1; pappi 17–20 mm. 2n = 28.


Phenology: Flowering summer–fall (Aug–Oct).
Habitat: Moist savannas, pine barrens, coastal plain bogs
Elevation: 0–150 m

Distribution

V19-71-distribution-map.gif

Del., Fla., Ga., N.J., N.C., S.C., Va.

Discussion

Cirsium virginianum occurs on the Atlantic coastal plain from Delaware to Florida.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

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

... more about "Cirsium virginianum"
white-tomentose +
tomentose +  and glabrous +
short-tailed +
spineless +  and twisted +
dentate +, entire +  and spine-tipped +
spreading +  and erect +
innermost +
muticous;short-spinose +
scarious +
paniculiform +, corymbiform +  and open +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
David J. Keil +
(Linnaeus) Michaux +
winged-petiolate +
lobed +, few +, entire +, linear +, not decurrent +  and tapered +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
Carduus virginianus +
compound +  and simple +
linear-elliptic +  and linear +
lobed;ovate;spinulose;ovate;spinulose +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
10-nerved or 20-nerved +  and rugose +
tawny +  and white +
Virginia thistle +
actinomorphic +
white +  and pink red yellow or purple +
2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
compressed +  and ovoid +
fertile +  and bisexual +
Del. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, N.J. +, N.C. +, S.C. +  and Va. +
0–150 m +
gray-canescent +  and glabrous +
pistillate +, staminate +  and neuter +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
Moist savannas, pine barrens, coastal plain bogs +
indeterminate +
each +  and sessile +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
ovoid;cylindric or narrowly campanulate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
sessile +  and petiolate +
cauline +  and basal +
firm-textured +
bristle-tipped +
lobed +, toothed +  and few +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
entire +  and dentate +
usually lobed +  and dissected +
2-carpellate +
persistent +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
Flowering summer–fall (Aug–Oct). +
middle +  and outer +
weakly to strongly +
papillate +  and smooth +
Fl. Bor.-Amer. +
bearing subulate enations +, hairy +  and bristly +
flat;convex +
glutinous +
tawny;white +
setiform +  and plumose +
exalbuminous +
subequal +
ascending +  and spreading +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
spiny-winged +, simple +  and branched +
glabrate +  and appressed-tomentose +
appendaged +  and truncate +
dilated +  and swollen +
enlarged +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Carduus revolutus +  and Cirsium revolutum +
Cirsium virginianum +
species +
cylindric +
expanded +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
bristly-dentate to coarsely +
slender +
0.85 cm8.5 mm <br />0.0085 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
150 cm1,500 mm <br />1.5 m <br /> (200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br />) +
perennial +  and biennial +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (150 cm1,500 mm <br />1.5 m <br />) +
tree +, vine +, shrub +  and subshrub +