''Cirsium erisithales'', the yellow thistle or yellow melancholy thistle, is a perennial

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plant in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae.

Description

''Cirsium erisithales'' can reach a height of . The stems are erect, almost hairless. This plant has just a few leaves, with tooth-shaped lobes. Flower heads are lemon yellow, solitary or in groups (up to 5), with a diameter of .

Distribution

This species is widespread in southern and eastern Europe, though nowhere very common. It is present in the mountains of France, Italy,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, the Balkans, Greece, southern Russia, etc.

Habitat

''Cirsium erisithales'' grows in fresh wood (beech), rocky slopes, meadows and waters edge. It prefers calcareous or volcanic soils, at an elevation of above sea level.Pignatti 1982, Flora d'Italia. Volume 3, Bologna, Edagricole, 1982, pag. 161

References

External links

Tela botanica
in French with photos
Acta Plantarum
in Italian with photos erisithales Flora of Europe {{Cynareae-stub