''Cirsium dissectum'', also known as meadow thistle,
is an erect
perennial herb. It is found in
England,
Wales,
Ireland,
France, the
Netherlands,
Germany,
Italy,
Spain,
Hungary,
Norway, etc. It is found in
fens and less acidic
peat bogs i.e. it prefers damp boggy areas.
[Altervista Flora Italiana, Cardo sbrandellato, ''Cirsium dissectum'' (L.) Hill]
/ref>
Description
''Cirsium dissectum'' grows 15 to 50 cm tall. It resembles a more slender version of ''Cirsium heterophyllum
''Cirsium heterophyllum'', the melancholy thistle, is an erect spineless herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia, where it grows in upland meadows, grasslands, road verges and open ...
'' in having a grooved cottony stem and lanceolate shaped leaves, that have prickles and not spines. However the leaves are narrower (under 3 cm), less hairy underneath, and hairy on top.[
The ]flower heads
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
are 2 to 3 cm long, the florets being dark red/purple, flowering from June until August.[
The plant has runners.][
]
Similar species
''Cirsium tuberosum'' or tuberous thistle, has tuberous roots rather than runners, and the leaves are twice pinnated. It is found in Calcareous grasslands but very rare. It has been recorded in Britain in the counties of Cambridgeshire, Glamorgan
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
, and Wiltshire.[Wildflowers of the British Isles]
/ref>
It flowers from June until July.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q392283
dissectum
Flora of Europe
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus