Cirsium carolinianum (Walt) Fern&Schub.

Synonym(s): Cardus carolinianus Walter; Cirsium flaccidum Small

Common name: Purple Thisle

Family: Asteraceae; Composite

Origin: Native

Legal status : Imperiled in Georgia

Flowered: June 8, 1999.; May 11, 2001., and May 06, 2007. in the Flatwoods of the Berry College Campus, Mt.Berry, Georgia

Habitat: Woods, roadsides, dry and rocky soil.

Description: "Biennial to 2.5 m tall, roots not tuberous-thickened. Leaves pliable, villous to glabrous above, margins only slightly or not revolute; large leaves to 2.5 dm long and 7 cm wide; basal leaves often present. Spines of bracts 2-3 mm long. May-July. Roadsides and openings in woodlands,rare; ..."-Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. (1968)

Image: Cirsium carolinianum (Walt) Fern&Schub. in the Flatwoods of the Berry College Campus, Oostanaula River Valley, Mt. Berry, Northwest Georgia on May 06, 2007. and on May 15, 2007.

Last updated on November 12, 2007.

References:
1. 1. Fernald, Merritt L. Gray's Manual of Botany. 8th ed. New York: American Book Company, 1950.(665.) 2. Duncan, Wilbur H., and Marion B. Duncan. Wildflowers of the Eastern United States. Athens: University of Georgia, 1999. (131.)
3. Image and identification by Zvezdana Ukropina-Crawford
4. USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 27 May 2006). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.