Thistle, Yellow Star Thistle

Yellow Star Thistle Centaurea solstitialis. More like a cactus than a thistle, this sprawling, lanky, readily branching plant has pithy, flattened, winged stems which branch in asymmetric patterns, forming a messy looking mass of spines. The long, stiff, very narrow, dusty green leaves are arranged alternately at irregularly spaced nodes, each leaf tipped with cactus like spines.  Stems potentially branch at each node, creating a tumbling habit. The flower heads are bright yellow globes that sprout from fleshy, fruit-like pedicles 3-4” long which are covered in thorns.  Common on disturbed soils, roadsides, otherwise the plant is soon crowded out by grasses and taller plants. (Pl Rn X Old Clark) (218) 6/25/15; 6/15/16- ; 6/10/17- ; 6/7/18 ; 19 not recrd;

Yellow Star Thistle habit; an irregular mass of sprawling, pithy, flattened, winged stems armed with cactus like spines, bearing yellow, globe like flowers on fleshy pedicles

Note; flattened, ‘winged stems’ and grey-green color

Note; tumbling, readily branching growth habit produces mounds of weakly upright stems, thorns and leaves

Note; bright yellow globe flower on a fleshy, fruit-like pedicle, with inch long cactus like thorns.

Thistle, Texas Thistle

Texas Thistle Cirsium texanum.  A lanky thistle with long, ribbed, pithy stems, and dusty green, deeply pinnate leaves lined with only 4-5 spines per side of leaf.  This is the most common thistle on the ILC.  Rising from one pithy tap root, the main stem soon branches into multiple stems which are slightly grooved, but lack spines, like Nodding Thistle (C nutans).  Branching does not follow a symmetric pattern, and each long (6-10”) flower stalk bears only one elongated, slightly tapering flower-head, lined with prickly scales.    The lavender to rose-purple, hair-like petals are longer than Bull Thistle.  Not as robust or squat as Bull Thistle, Texas Thistle has shorter spines, does not have as sharp or thick of spines on stems, has much longer flower stalks, lacks spines on flower stalks, is a lighter lavender color, has longer hair-like petals, and has longer, more tapered buds.  However, it is only slightly less noxious.  (332) 4/28/15; 5/1/16, 4/17/17- ; 5/4/18; 4/28/19; 4/25/20

Texas Thistle habit; a lanky, readily branching annual with alternating, pinnate leaves bearing multiple, smooth flower stems, each capped with a single, lavender head of thread like petals on a tapering, scaly bud.

Note; lavender to rose globe flowers have longer filaments than Bull Thistle or Nodding Thistle

Note; prickly scales lining the elongated buds

Note; thin, pinnate leaves with only a few, short spines on each leaf are arranged in an alternating spiral around slightly grooved flower stems

Note; flower stems are smooth, lacking spines, like those of Nodding or Bull Thistle

Spiny Sow Thistle

Spiny Sow Thistle Sonchus asper. An early (April) blooming annual, Sow Thistles begin as rosettes of deeply cut, thistle like leaves which look spiny, but are soft and harmless.  Leaves bleed a slightly bitter, but harmless milky sap when cut. The pinnate, clasping leaves, which have deep, rounded sinuses, are arranged in an alternating spiral around smooth, hollow stems.  The rosette of leaves stays low as long as the weather is cold, but quickly grows up when it warms, culminating in a compact clump of small, short lived, green buds, invariably coated with a white powder.  Stems can be trampled down, but continue to grow, arching back up and producing flowers.  Yellow ray flowers emerge from the tapering buds.  If cut back, the hollow stem quickly sends out new stalks.  The ray petals are squared at the ends, surrounding a yellow disk flower fuzzy with yellow anthers.  Flowers transform into coarse blow-balls of wind- blown achenes, and the plants wither soon after the plant goes to seed.  Common along partially shaded paths.  (222) 3/25/15-5/20/15; 3/10/16; 2/25/17- ; 2/8/19 – ; 20 not recrd;

Spiny Sow Thistle; A soft plant with hollow stems and leaves which look spiny but are soft and harmless, bearing compact bunches of tapering buds that open to yellow ray flowers.

Note; pinnate, thistle like leaves with deep, rounded sinuses, look spiny but are soft and harmless

Note; leaves clasp the otherwise smooth, hollow stems

Note; plants end in a tight bunch of tapering buds, invariably coated with a grey powder

Note; flowers convert to blowball achenes

Note; tapering buds

 

Thistle, Nodding Thistle

Nodding Thistle Carduus nutans.  Like Bull Thistle, all of this noxious invader of disturbed soil is covered in sharp spines.  Unlike C vulgare, Nodding Thistle has multiple, long stems, and unique to Nodding Thistle, each head is framed by a thick rosette of sharp, triangular bracts, and the open heads “nod” (bent sharply downward) to one side by as much as 90 degrees.  Rose to purple flower heads otherwise resemble Bull thistle.  Like Texas Thistle, this plant divides into multiple, long flower stems, each bearing a single flower head, except that C texanum has smooth ribbed stems, lacking thorns.  Like other thistles, flowers convert to fluffy blow-balls of wind carried achenes, which birds like finches tear apart in search of the nutritious seeds.  Not common locally.  (not in book) 4/20/15; 16, 17, 18, 19 no obs, 5/28/20;

Nodding Thistle habit; a very spiny thistle with relatively small leaves and narrow stems, most notable by the long, spiny flower stems, and the sharp, rosette of bracts that from the rose-red flowers

Note; relatively small, pinnate leaves with sharp spines on every leaflet.

Note; the large, sharp, triangular bracts that frame the flower head

Note; all parts of the plant are covered in sharp spines

Note; the long, spiny flower stems

Note; large heads of hairlike, red-purple petals, nodding to one side on long stems.

Note; the rosette of sharp, triangular bracts that frame the flower heads

Thistle, Bull Thistle

Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare. An invasive pest, this thick stemmed weed has sharp, stiff spines on every part of the plant; stalks, leaf margins, buds and stems included.  The plant begins as a rosette of deeply pinnate, dark green, wavy leaves with sharp, stiff spines on every lobe, which rises from an underground, corm like root.  As the flower stem grows, the thick, pithy stalk is sheathed in ridges that have spines, with leaves arranged in an alternating spiral. “Bull” comments on the stout, thick-stemmed growth habit, vulgare comments on its ubiquity, the “common thistle”.  Each undivided stalk produces a dense cluster of squat, tapering flower-heads that take on a bowl shape as they open, a dense tuft of short, dark red-purple, hair like petals pushing its way out of the bud.  Bull Thistle does not branch, unlike Nodding and Texas Thistles, unless the main stem is cut, in which case the plant will bud several side stalks.  Black honey bees and small black and grey beetles, which can often be found wallowing in the flower heads, pollinate the flowers, which convert to heads of achenes.  Finches each the seeds, tearing the seed apart in the process.  Otherwise, achenes are carried off by the wind.  (332) 4/20/15; 5/10/16; 4/17/17- ; 5/4/18; 19 no obs; 20 no obs

Bull Thistle habit; a squat, thick stemmed plant with grey-green, undulating, thorny leaves, bearing a dense terminal cluster of rose-red, hair like flower heads

Note; dark green, clasping, pinnate leaves, with a sharp thorn on the tip of every projection, arranged in an alternating spiral

Note, every surface of the plant has sharp spines, flower stems included

 

Lettuce, Telegraph Lettuce

Telegraph Lettuce Lactuca floridana. A medium height (2-3’), hollow stalk with alternating, deeply lobed leaves with serrated edges.  Leaves look much like Prickly Lettuce, except they do not clasp the stem, lack thorns, and are much softer, and the plant blooms much later.  A multi-branched, terminal panicle, that becomes slightly tangled, has many small, aster like white flowers which open fully, converting to small blowballs.  Young leaves can be eaten like lettuce, before they turn bitter.  Found in shaded areas, along trails in forested areas or forest margins.  Disturbed areas, roadsides, MK, CC, CA. (106) 9/15/15; 9/18/16- ; 9/10/17- ; 9/15/18; 19 no recrd;

Telegraph Lettuce habit; A medium height to tall plant with hollow stems and deeply cut, alternating leaves, sporting a terminal spike of small white flower.

Note; short lived, small, white, aster like flowers, open from tapering buds

Note; large, soft leaves with deep sinuses arranged in an alternating spiral around the hollow stems

Sunflower, Kansas Sunflower

Kansas Sunflower Helianthus annuus. A very tall (4-7’), pithy-stemmed, branching annual with coarse bristles on all parts of the plant.  Sunflowers, unlike daisies, have only one stalk per plant.  The large (4-10”) heart-shaped leaves are dull green, born alternately along the stalk in an open spiral, droop slightly.  Unlike commercial sunflowers, Kansas Sunflowers produce a loose, branching terminal and axillary flower sprays.  The large (4-6”) flower-heads (larger on the terminal sprays) sport flat, yellow, pointed ray flowers nearly 2” long arranged around a disk comprised of tiny reddish flowers.  The larger, terminal flowers emerge first, then those budding from leaf axils.  The seeds are embedded in the disk, appearing as a composite spiral.  Common in disturbed soils (198) 5/20/15; 6/1/16- ; 5/20/17- ; 5/28/18; 19 not recrd; 5/20/20;

Kansas Sunflower habit; tall, thick stemmed plant with heart shaped, alternate leaves, and loose terminal and axillary sprays of large, showy, bright yellow ray flowers.

Note; all parts of the plant covered in bristle like hairs.

Note; large, heart shaped leaves are arranged around the stem in a loose, alternating spiral

Note; flowers comprise a ring of large, pointed ray flowers around a disk of tiny reddish flowers

Note; ray petals, with 4 or 5 linear veins, end in pointed tips

Note; seeds are embedded in the brown disk in a spiral pattern

Note; flowers born singly on a loose spray,

Sunflower, Engelmann’s Sunflower

Engelmann’s Sunflower/Daisy Engelmannia pinnatifida. A perennial that looks like a small sunflower, this daisy, which begins as a rosette of hairy, deeply pinnate leaves, produces multiple, branching stalks, the leaves alternating up the stems. Slender, branching flower sprays produce bright yellow ray flowers 1”-1 1/4” across, surrounding a central, green disk.  From the disk bud 20 or so yellow disk flowers, each with projecting anthers.  The 8 ray petals have linear veins, ending with three teeth, which curve back in the heat, or as they age throughout the long blooming season. Disks produce a seed capsule with a central spike, not an open head, like sunflowers. The loose panicles of flowers become bushy as the plant ages.  An invasive of disturbed soils, this flower is crowded out by perennial vegetation, unless the area is mowed down.  Most common along road sides, trail margins, and lawns.  (202) 4/6/15-; 3/27/16; 3/13/17- ; 3/26/18 – 6/15/18; 3/25/19; 3/25/20

Engelmann’s Sunflower habit; long deeply pinnate leaves on a clump of hairy, branching stems, with an open panicle of bright yellow ray flowers

Note; basal rosette of large, deeply pinnate, fuzzy leaves, arranged on stalks in an alternating spiral

Note; loose sprays of 8 petal ray flowers, each petal ending in a toothed tip, surrounding a yellow disk

Note; 8 ray petals, each with several deep veins, surrounding a green disk with embedded yellow disk flowers.

Note; petals curve back in the heat, or with age

Salsify, Yellow Salsify

Yellow Salsify (Goatsbeard) Tragopogon dubius. This invasive, annual, rising from a thick, fibrous root, has long (10”), narrow, grass-like leaves with longitudinal veins that clasp the pithy stem.  The thick root is edible.  The leaves tend to curl down, due to being so thin.  A single, ridged, tapering bud forms on the end of a long (6-8”) pedicle that opens up like a heavy, spiky bract, framing the 2-3” yellow starburst ray flower.  Dark stamens are clustered among disk petals in the flower head.  Flowers soon convert to a large, coarse blowball, made up of dozens of achenes the wind blows away.  A blue variety is common elsewhere, but has not been recorded locally.  Road sides, mowed fields (218) 4/12/15-5/10/15; 5/1/16; 3/26/17-5/25/17; 4/17/18; 4/1/19; 5/5/20

Yellow Salsify habit; long stems with narrow clasping grass like leaves, tipped with a single, tapering bud, which opens to a single bright yellow ray flower.

Note; basal, grass like, parallel veined leaves, often curling under, which clasp the smooth stem.

Note; smooth flower stems tipped with a single, ridged, tapering bud

Note; sepal bracts unfold into a spiky green backdrop framing a single, yellow, ray flower, set off by dark stamen in the disk.

Note; flowers convert to a large, coarse blowball of wind blown achenes.

Rosinweed, Roughstem Rosinweed

Roughstem (Starry) Rosinweed Silphium radula. A lanky, unbranching, pithy plant with clasping, lance-shaped leaves up to 2” long by ¾” wide which grow all the way up the stem.  Like the Compass Plant S albiflorum (another Rosinweed) Amerind kids used to chew the stems for their pithy texture and sweet taste. The leaves and stem are rough to the touch, giving the plant its descriptive name. The 3” bright yellow flower, which looks remotely like a sunflower, is born singly, cradled in a bed of rough, heart-shaped bracts.  An Aster, the flowers are composed of as many as 25 smooth ray florets, each with two linear veins, surrounding a flat disk of over 100 yellow disk florets.  Prominent stamen have a black speck on the tip, and a filamentous yellow anther.  Only observed along shaded roadsides on forest margins. (not in book) 6/8/17- ; 18 no obs; 19 no obs

Roughstem Rosinweed habit; tall, unbranched, pithy stems with rough, alternating leaves, bearing a loose spray of large, bright yellow ray flowers.

Note; flowers couched in layers of stiff, pointed bracts

Note; the  stems and leave have a rough surface of bumps and bristles

Note; thick, lance shaped, clasping, leaves alternating along the pithy stem

Note; 25 bright yellow, smooth ray flowers, each with two linear veins which end in sharp points

Note; central disk of green pistols surrounded by filamentous stamen, each with a black dot, and tipped with yellow anthers.