Onopordum acanthium L. ssp. acanthium

Locations ofOnopordum acanthium L. ssp. acanthium in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Asteraceae
Botanical Name
Onopordum acanthium L. ssp. acanthium
Common Name
Scotch Thistle, Cotton Thistle
Synonym(s)
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
in Taxa Not Treated: Waifs
Comments
Native of Eurasia, introduced to North America as an ornamental in the 19th century; now a noxious, invasive weed in rangelands and other habitats of the western U.S.
Habitat
Collected as a weed in Fairfax and Frederick counties. There are numerous collections of this species from "waste ground" in the City of Alexandria (mapped as Fairfax Co.) from the period 1880-1918, but none recent. The original Frederick collection was made in 1959, with a more recent one in 2024.
Native Status
Introduced

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