Purple thistle is a native herbaceous annual/biennial or short-lived perennial plant in the daisy family (Asteraceae) native to North America on the Coastal Plain from southern Maine to Florida and west to Texas. In North Carolina, it is abundant in the coastal and Piedmont areas and rare in the mountains. Its name comes from the Greek kersion which means thistle. It is often found along the edges of salt marshes, fields, shores, savannahs, roadsides, disturbed areas and waste places. The plant grows 2 to 5 1/2 feet tall or even up to 8 feet and prefers sunny, open areas but can tolerate some shade. It grows in all types of soils, from moist to dry conditions, but it doesn't thrive in salt or brackish water. It grows best in sandy soil. Propagate with seeds and sow in the fall or early spring. The seeds require light to germinate, so do not cover them with soil. Keep the soil moist until germination occurs. Once established it can tolerate periods of drought. The showy heads of pinkish-purple or yellow to white disc flowers appear from May through August, attracting pollinators with their plentiful nectar. The bracts, stems and leaves are very spiny. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . Purple thistle is a great option in a meadow garden or naturalized area. Select with care, as this species may spread into areas such as lawns and flower beds. Some gardeners object to their spines but they deter deer and rabbits. Quick ID Hints: White densely wooly underside of the leaves. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The basal rosette of leaves are 8 to 24 inches long, deeply lobed and spiny. Stem leaves are smaller and alternate with spines on the margins and white hairs on the undersides.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Gold/Yellow; Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Dome
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
3-inch-wide pink to purple or to yelow to white, disc flower heads top the multi-branched stems. Bracts are spiny. Flowers May through August.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Seeds are produced singly in a flat, brown fruit about 1/10 of an inch long. Seeds produce a feathery pappus (similar to dandelion ‘seeds’) which help disperse the seeds.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems of the mature plant are branched and erect, giving it a winged appearance. Many spines.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Coastal Plain from southern Maine to Florida; west to Texas.
Distribution
Alabama, Arkansas, Bahamas, Belize, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
Wildlife value
The seeds are rich in oil, an important food source for seed-eating birds and use the tufts of the seeds for their nests. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees. It is the host plant for the Little Metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis), which has three to five broods from March-October, and Painted Lady Butterflies (Vanessa cardui) which have one to three flights in the east from May-October and three to four flights in south Texas from October-April. Flowers are also attractive to hummingbirds. Members of the genus Cirsium support the following specialized bees: Melissodes (Heliomelissodes) desponsus, Osmia (Helicosmia) chalybea and Osmia (Helicosmia) texana.