Edible field thistle
Cirsium esculentum

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A thistle herb. It doesn't have a stem and keeps growing from year to year. The leaves are in a ring at the base. The leaves are 6-21 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. They are divided into 4-7 pairs of segments.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows between 500-3,200 m above sea level in Central Asia.

Countries/locations it is found in

Armenia, Asia, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Europe, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Manchuria, Mongolia, Russia, Siberia, Tajikistan, Tibet, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Roots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Pijok

Synonyms

Cnicus esculentus Siev.; and others