Canada Thistle

Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)

• Deep rooted spreading perennial
• Reproduces by seed and root shoots
• Small purple (sometimes white) flowers
• Alternate spiny leaves
• 1-3 feet tall
• Young plants emerge as rosette in March and May
• By mid-June plants are 1-3 feet tall and beginning to bud
• Plants seen in mid to late summer and blow to disperse, often looking like "snow" in severe infestations