| Cirsium oleraceum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| 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 and ovoid, with a weakly spiny margin. The flowers are produced in dense capitula which are 2.5-4 cm diameter, pale yellow, but sometimes tinged pink.
The young stems are edible, and cultivated for food in Japan and India.