Cirsium horridulum

Cirsium horridulum is a biennial herb up to tall, with a large taproot and fleshy side roots that sometimes sprout new shoots. Leaves are up to long with thick, sharp spines along the edges. There are usually several flower heads, also with sharp spines, each head with disc florets but no ray florets. Flower color varies from one plant to the next: white, yellow, pink, red or purple. ; ; Varieties • Cirsium horridulum var. horridulum – from Maine to Guatemala • Cirsium horridulum var. megacanthum (Nutt.) D.J.Keil – from the Florida Panhandle to Texas and Oklahoma • Cirsium horridulum var. vittatum (Small) R.W.Long – from North Carolina to Louisiana ==Conservation status in the United States==

It is endangered in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. It is listed as threatened in Rhode Island. ==As a noxious weed==

The Cirsium genus is listed as a noxious weed in Arkansas and Iowa. ==Native American ethnobotany==

The Houma people make an infusion of the leaves and root of the plant in whiskey. They use it as both as an astringent, and drink it to clear phlegm from lungs and throat. They also eat the tender, white hearts of the plant raw. The Seminole use the spines of the plant as darts for their blowguns. ==Ecology==

C. horridulum is a facultative upland species that can grow in wetlands, but is usually found in non-wetland ecosystems. Its seeds are cypsela that are dispersed by birds and wind. It is a larval host to the little metalmark and the painted lady butterflies. Its flowers are popular for their nectar and pollen with butterflies and bumble bees. ==References==