Wild-Flower Study 



563 



THE THISTLE 



Teacher's Story 



looking at the thistle from its own 

 standpoint, we must acknowledge it to 

 be a beautiful and wonderful plant. It 

 is like a knight of old encased in armor 

 and with lance set, ready for the fray. 

 The most impressive species is the great 

 pasture, or bull, thistle (C. pnmilis), 

 which has a blossom-head three inches 

 across. This is not so common as the 

 lance-leaved thistle, which ornaments 

 roadsides and fence corners, where it 

 may remain undisturbed for the neces- 

 sary second year of growth before it 

 can mature its seeds. The most per- 

 nicious species, from the farmer's 



standpoint, is the Canada thistle. Its roots are perennial, and they invade 



garden, grain field and meadow. They creep for yards in all directions, 



just deep enough to be sure of moisture, and send up new plants here and 



there, especially if the main stalk is cut off. Roots severed by the plow, 



send up shoots from both of the broken parts. Not so with the common 



thistle, which has a single main root, with many fibrous and clustered 



branches but with no side shoots. 



The stalk of the lance-leaved thistle is strong and woody, and is 



closely hugged by pricky leaf stems, except for a few inches above the root. 



The leaves are placed alternately' 



on the stalk; they are deep green, 



covered above with rough and 



bristling hairs, and when young are 



covered on the under -side with 



soft, gray wool which falls away 



later. The spines grow on the 



edges of the leaves, which are deeply 



lobed and are also somewhat wavy 



and ruffled, thus causing the savage 



spears to meet the enemy in any 



direction. The ribs and veins are 



without spines. Small buds or 



branches may be found at the axils 



of the leaves; and if a plant is 



beheaded, those axiliary buds near- 

 est the top of (the stem will grow 



vigorously. 



The thistle flowers are purple in 



color and very fragrant ; they grow 



in single heads at the summit of 



the stalk, and from the axils of the 



upper leaves. The topmost heads 



open first. Of the individual 



flowers in the head, those of the 



