''Cirsium lecontei'', often called the Le Conte's thistle, is a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n plant species native to the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

, or sometimes biennial, species of the tribe

Cardueae The Cardueae are a tribe of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and the subfamily Carduoideae. Most of them are commonly known as thistles; four of the best known genera are '' Carduus'', '' Cynara'' (containing the widely eaten ar ...

within the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It grows along the coastal plain from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The flowering season is mainly spring to summer. (2006): 24. ''Cirsium lecontei. In: Flora of North America North of Mexico'' Vol. 19 (Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 6: Asteraceae, part 1). Oxford University Press.
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Description

''Cirsium lecontei'' grows to about 35–110 cm and has a taproot, sometimes with root sprouts. The plant is spiny and should be handled with care. The flowers are usually pink. The plant requires full sun. Le Conte's Thistle has a

Wetland Indicator Status Wetland indicator status denotes the probability of individual species of vascular plants occurring in freshwater, brackish and saltwater wetlands in the United States. The wetland status of 7,000 plants is determined upon information contained i ...

of FACW (facultative wetland, meaning that it usually occurs in wetlands but not always).United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile
/ref> The stems are loosely

arachnoid Arachnoid may refer to: * Relating to arachnids * Arachnoid (astrogeology), a geological structure found only on the planet Venus * Arachnoid (botany), referring to organs with a cobwebby exterior appearance * Arachnoid granulation, small protrus ...

and stiffly

ascending ''Ascending'' is a science fiction novel by the Canadian writer James Alan Gardner, published in 2001 by HarperCollins Publishers under its various imprints.HarperCollins, Avon, HarperCollins Canada, SFBC/Avon; paperback edition 2001, Eos Books. ...

. Leaves have blades that are linear to oblong or narrowly elliptic, loosely arachnoid when young,

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