Creeping Thistle, Canada thistle
Cirsium arvense
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Irregular or sprawling.
Cirsium arvense is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies), beetles. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.9
Where it is found
Arable land, roadsides etc, a common weed of cultivated land.
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and Asia.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Countries/locations it is found in
Afghanistan, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Britain, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Estonia, Europe*, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mediterranean, Mongolia, Nepal, North America, Pakistan, Russia, South America, Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, USA.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Root of first year plants - raw or cooked. Nutritious but rather bland, they are best used in a mixture with other vegetables. The root is likely to be rich in inulin, a starch that cannot be digested by humans. This starch thus passes straight through the digestive system and, in some people, ferments to produce flatulence. Stems - they are peeled and cooked like asparagus or rhubarb. Leaves - raw or cooked. A fairly bland flavour, but the prickles need to be removed before the leaves can be eaten - not only is this rather fiddly but very little edible leaf remains. The leaves are also used to coagulate plant milks etc.
Oil: Oil
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Curdling agent: used to curdle soya milk in making cheese.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The root is tonic, diuretic, astringent, antiphlogistic and hepatic. It has been chewed as a remedy for toothache. A decoction of the roots has been used to treat worms in children. A paste of the roots, combined with an equal quantity of the root paste of Amaranthus spinosus, is used in the treatment of indigestion. The plant contains a volatile alkaloid and a glycoside called cnicin, which has emetic and emmenagogue properties. The leaves are antiphlogistic. They cause inflammation and have irritating properties.
Antiphlogistic: Reduces inflammation.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Hepatic: Acts on the liver (for better or worse!).
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 2
The seed fluff is used as a tinder. The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression. The seed of this species contains about 22% oil. Dynamic accumulator.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Tinder: Used for starting fires. See also Kindling.
Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
The creeping thistle is a pernicious garden weed, spreading freely from its aggressive root system, It can quickly form dense clumps of growth and really does not need to be introduced into the garden. Succeeds in any ordinary garden soil in a sunny position. Plants are often dioecious. A polymorphic species. Special Features:North American native, Invasive, Attracts butterflies. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is fleshy. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root .
Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 8 weeks at 20°c. A pernicious weed, not many people would want to invite this plant into their garden.
Best place to grow: Meadow; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-7
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Widely considered a weed even where it is native. It is cited as a noxious weed in several countries; for example Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States.
Its other names
Local names
Creeping thistle Field thistle, Californian thistle, Canadian thistle, lettuce from hell thistle, corn thistle, cursed thistle, field thistle, green thistle, hard thistle, perennial thistle, prickly thistle, small-flowered thistle, way thistl, Cardo cundidor, Choussio, Ciji, Da khawarak azghai, Honghuamiao, Koygocerten, Koygocuren, Ohakas, Ohtja, Perticone, Stioppone, Stramontano.
Synonyms
Carduus arvensis. Serratula arvensis.