Wildflowers Found in Oregon

Indian Thistle (Edible Thistle)

Cirsium edule - Locally common, all summer, biennial or perennial, 20-80 in. Stems erect, hairy, succulent and stout in lower portion, becoming thin above. Leaves lance-shaped, lobed or coarsely toothed, with spiny tips. Leaves covered with wooly hair when young, becoming less hairy with age, but midrib hairs persist in underside. Basal leaves of the flowering season are 15 in. long. Flower heads of pink dish flowers held singly or clustered at branch ends; flower heads hang when young. Bowl-shaped cups about 1 in., covered with webbed hairs; short spines at bract tips. Grows in moist deep soils of meadows, forests, or along ridges. Stems edible when peeled. Native.