Carduus tenuiflorus

Carduus tenuiflorus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is known variously as slender-flower thistle,^[1] sheep thistle,^[1] shore thistle,^[1] slender thistle,^[1] winged plumeless thistle,^[2] winged slender thistle^[1] and winged thistle.^[1] It is native to western Europe and Northwest Africa, and is an introduced species elsewhere.

Carduus tenuiflorus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Carduus
Species:	C. tenuiflorus
Binomial name
Carduus tenuiflorus Curtis[1]

Description

Carduus tenuiflorus may exceed 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. Its tall stem is ridged with wings and has long spines which may be several centimeters in length. The dull olive-green leaves are lobed and wrinkled and may fold and crease themselves.^{[citation needed]}

The inflorescences may hold up to 20 flower heads which are somewhat rounded, covered in wide, spiny phyllaries, and packed with pale pink to bright purple long-tubed disc florets. This is a tenacious weed of roadsides, fields, and disturbed areas.

Distribution

Carduus tenuiflorus is native to western North Africa in: northern Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia; Macaronesia; and much of western Europe in: Belgium, France, including Corsica, Ireland, Italy including Sardinia and Sicily, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain including the Balearic Islands, and the United Kingdom.^[1][3][4]

Introduced species

It has become naturalised in South Africa, India, Australasia, Southern South America, regions of the United States, and elsewhere.^[1] It is an invasive species in California.^[5]