Pasture Thistle is a native biennial or monocarpic perennial herb in the Asteraceae (daisy) family found in the northeastern and north central United States and the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is found in the Piedmont of NC. Its name comes from the Greek kersion which means thistle. The plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall with clasping leaves that are 12 inches long with slender stout spines. The fragrant disc flowers bloom in purple, pink, or white and attract butterflies, bees and birds. It is found in roadsides, disturbed areas, meadows and fields. The stems and leaves have prickles. The plant lives 2 or 3 years, then blooms, sets seed and dies. It is drought tolerant and prefers full sun and dry, well-drained soils. This thistle has fewer spines than some and is much easier to control than other thistles. It is a high-value nectar plant for bees and butterflies and the songbirds eat the seeds and use the tufts of the seeds for their nests. The seeds are rich in oil, an important food source for seed-eating birds. Flowers are also attractive to hummingbirds. 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 Pasture thistle is a great option in your meadow garden or naturalized area when looking for native host plants for the Swamp Metalmark butterfly or the Painted Lady butterfly. It is a short-lived thistle with flowers that are showy and fragrant. It is a non-invasive native. 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)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
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; Oblong
Leaf margin
Lobed; Undulate
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Initial leaves form a basal rosette. Older leaves are deeply lobed with wavy edges, oblong to elliptic, up to 6 to 8 inches long. Undersides of leaves are densely wooly with a whitish appearance. Leaf edges have short, dense spines.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Dome
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Dense inflorescent 2-3 inches across with 20-50 disc florets and no petals. Fragrant
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small seeds which produce a feathery pappus (similar to dandelion ‘seeds’) which help disperse the seeds.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stout stems with spines and densely wooly.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and Central US and Ontario, Canada
Distribution
CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV, Ontario
Wildlife value
Members of the genus Cirsium support the following specialized bees: Melissodes (Heliomelissodes) desponsus, Osmia (Helicosmia) chalybea and Osmia (Helicosmia) texana. Thistles attract butteflies and birds. Thistle seed is a favorite of finches. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees.