Cirsium palustre
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| Cirsium palustre (L.) Scop. |
Cirsium palustre (the Marsh thistle or European swamp thistle) is a herbaceous biennial species of the genus Cirsium. It is a tall thistle that reaches up to 2 metres in height. The strong stems have few branches and are covered in small spines. The spiky leaves are narrow and lobed. The purple flowers are produced from June to September and are 10-20 millimetres across with purple-tipped bracts. It is native to Europe where it is particularly common on damp ground such as marshes, wet fields, moorland and beside streams. In North America it is an introduced species that has become invasive.
