cirsium arvense

[piranha]

canada thistle, invasive. bad naming, since it doesn't originate in canada, but in eurasia. it's a ruderal species, which means it is among the first plants to colonise disturbed land after fires, avalanches, or human actions such as construction, clear cutting, etc. typical for a ruderal species are fast-growing roots, massive seed production, and modest nutritional needs for seedlings. butterflies and gold finches go nuts for it (the former for the blooms, the latter for the seeds).

allegedly the roots and stalks are edible, but i've never tried.

Comments

[seryn]

It's pretty. I really like that color and the spiky appearance. Even if it's a non-native invasive species.

re: cirsium arvense

[betonica]

Ah - ruderal. I didn't know there was a word for that; thanks.
Pretty much all thistles are edible. They've got the thorns for protection, so they don't need to waste energy on toxin production. I haven't had canada thistle either, but milk thistle is tasty. The stalks are like salty tender celery, after you strip off the outer bits. There was a thistle that grew in profusion in the East Bay (SF) that I suspect was a cross between artichoke and milk thistle. Or it might just have been artichoke gone wild. I harvested the buds, once, and steamed and ate them like artichokes, except I didn't bother doing the leaf-by-leaf thing because they were tiny (about 2 cm across). Tasted great.