SPEAR THISTLE 



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This is one of our finest, tallest, and strongest thistles. The Spear 

 Thistle is tall and erect in habit. The stem is erect, stout, hairy, fur- 

 rowed, with strong spinous wings. The leaves are inversely egg- 

 shaped, lance-shaped, deeply divided nearly to the base, running down 

 the stem, white and cottony below, the lobes large, few, divided into 

 two nearly to the base, the segments entire, lance-shaped, with stout 

 long spines. The flower-stalk is short. The florets are purple. 



SPEAR THISTLE (Cniftts lanceolatus, \Villd.) 1 



The flowerhead is large, not so cottony as in woolly-headed Thistle, 

 terminal, solitary or 2-3, in groups, erect. The involucre is egg- 

 shaped, shaggy, cottony, the phyllaries lance-shaped, awl-like, with 

 a strong midrib, spreading, spinous, the spines long. The fruit is 

 striped, smooth, shining. The pappus is feathery. 



Spear Thistle is about 3 ft. high. Flowers are found from June to 

 September. The plant is a deciduous herbaceous plant, biennial, 

 propagated by seeds. 



The flowerheads are much as in C. arvcnsis, but the honey is not 

 so accessible. The narrow tubes of the florets and involucre are much 



1 Not improbably these radical leaves belong to the Marsh Thistle, but the photo, shows the similar 

 rosette habit of Spear Thistle at this stage. 



