Cirsium oleraceum

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Cirsium oleraceum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Tribe: Cynareae Genus: Cirsium Species: C. oleraceum
Binomial name
Cirsium oleraceum (L.) Scop.

Cirsium oleraceum (Cabbage thistle) is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium, native to central and eastern Europe and Asia, where it grows in wet lowland soils.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.5 m tall, with unbranched stems or only a very few branches. The leaves are broad ovoid, with a weakly spiny margin. The flowers are produced in dense capitula 2.5-4 cm diameter, pale yellow, sometimes tinged pink.

The young stems are edible, and cultivated for food in Japan and India.

[edit] References

• Mansfield crop database: Cirsium oleraceum