Cirsium heterophyllum
Encyclopedia
Cirsium heterophyllum, also known as Melancholy Thistle, is an erect spineless herb. It is found in England
, Wales
and Scotland
but not in the south of these countries. In Ireland
it is very rare, and Denmark
it is only locally found. It grows in upland meadows, grasslands, roads and open woods.
. The stem is grooved, more-or-less branchless, and cottony. The leaves are green and hairless above, thick white felted underneath. The base leaves are lanceolate with stalks and softly prickly edges, and grow from 20 to 40 cm long, and from 4 to 8 cm wide. The upper leaves do not have stalks, clasping the stem with cordate (heart-shaped) bases. The flower heads are 3 to 5 cm long and wide, red-purple in colour, and appear from July to August.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
but not in the south of these countries. In Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
it is very rare, and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
it is only locally found. It grows in upland meadows, grasslands, roads and open woods.
Description
It is a perennial herb. Unusually for a thistle, it lacks spines. The plant grows 45 to 120cm tall, and forms runnersStolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
. The stem is grooved, more-or-less branchless, and cottony. The leaves are green and hairless above, thick white felted underneath. The base leaves are lanceolate with stalks and softly prickly edges, and grow from 20 to 40 cm long, and from 4 to 8 cm wide. The upper leaves do not have stalks, clasping the stem with cordate (heart-shaped) bases. The flower heads are 3 to 5 cm long and wide, red-purple in colour, and appear from July to August.