Cabbage thistle, Meadow cabbage, Vegetable thistle
Cirsium oleraceum

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A herb. It is a thistle. It grows 1.5 m tall. The stems is usually unbranched and with few side branches. The leaves are oval with weakly spiny edges. The flowers are in dense flower heads 2.5-4 cm across. They are pale yellow.

There are about 150-250 Cirsium species. They grow in temperate regions.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in wet lowland soils.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Estonia, Europe, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Poland, Russia, Siberia, Slovenia

How it is used for food

The young shoots (stems and leaves) are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are boiled with milk as a soup. The swollen rootstock before flowering is cooked and eaten.

It is cultivated for food in India and Japan.

Edible parts

Leaves, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kaposztas acat, Mehki osat, Siberian thistle

Synonyms

Cnicus oleraceus L.; and several others