i 5 2 WILD FLOWERS OF THE BRITISH ISLES 
Spear Plume-Thistle. (Cnieus lanceolatus, Willd.)— Flower-heads large, i-i| inches 
across, egg-shaped, solitary or 2-3 together ; florets light crimson-purple ; flower-bracts lance 
shaped, spinous-pointed, woolly, spreading ; achene oblong, compressed, crowned with the feathery 
calyx-hairs (pappus). [As described in the genus Cnieus.] Stem 1-5 feet high, woolly, with the 
leaves partially continued down the stem (interruptedly winged) ; the leaves being deeply lobed, 
with the lobes again divided and ending in a strong spine ; deep dull green with minute bristle- 
like spines, white and downy underneath. [ Plate 71. 
Common everywhere. July — October. Biennial or Annual. 
Woolly-headed Plume Thistle. (Cnieus eriophorus, Roth.)— Flower-heads very large, 
2-3 inches across, round, solitary or rarely two together ; florets light reddish-purple, with dark 
purple anthers and white styles ; flower-bracts lance-shaped, with long turned-back spines, reddish 
or green, covered with thick white wool ; achenes oblong, flattened, spiny, crowned with the feathery 
calyx-hairs. [As just described in the genus Cnieus.] Stem 3-5 feet high, woolly, not winged ; the 
upper leaves half clasping the stem, deeply lobed (pinnatifid), and spinous, each lobe ending in a 
stout spine; the lower leaves very large, often 2 feet long, deep dull green with minute bristle-like 
spines, white and downy underneath. 
Local. Waste places on chalk and limestone. July — October. Biennial. 
Marsh Plume-Thistle. (Cnieus palustris, Willd.) — Flower-heads small, egg-shaped, 
nearly stalkless (sub-sessile), in a terminal leafy cluster ; florets generally without carpels (male) on 
one and without stamens (female) on another plant (dioecious), purple-crimson or white ; flower- 
bracts lance-shaped, not spinous, slightly cobwebby ; achenes flattened, with rather short feathery 
hairs. [As described in the genus Cnieus.] Stem 3-10 feet high, the tallest British thistle, 
only branched towards the summit, stout, hollow, with the leaves continued down the stem 
(continuously winged), the leaves being lance-shaped, deeply lobed, the margins with bristly spines, 
the upper surface hairy, not spiny, deep dull green, downy underneath. \Plate 71. 
Common on damp land. July — September. Biennial or Annual. 
Tuberous Plume-Thistle. (Cnieus tuberosus, Roth.)— Flower-heads large, egg-shaped, 
usually solitary ; florets dark crimson, generally without carpels (male) on one and without stamens 
(female) on another plant ; flower-bracts lance-shaped, the outer olive-coloured at the tip, and the 
inner dark purple, not spinous. Achenes oval, crowned with the feathery calyx-hairs (pappus). [As 
described in the genus Cnieus.] Stem 2 feet high, not branched, simple, erect, round, slender, 
leafless above, hairy, not winged ; the leaves deeply lobed and fringed with small bristles, bright 
green. Root spindle-shaped with tuberous fibres. 
Very rare, only found in Wiltshire. July — September. Perennial. 
Meadow Plume-Thistle. (Cnieus pratensis, Willd.)— Flower-heads generally solitary on 
long stalks, rarely 2-3 together ; florets dark purplish-crimson, perfect or otherwise ; flower-bracts 
not spinous, purple at the tip, cottony ; achenes oval, crowned with the feathery calyx-hairs 
(pappus). [As described in the genus Cnieus.] Stem 1-2 feet high, not winged, cottony, not 
branched (simple), erect, giving off runners; the leaves mostly from the root (radical), soft, 
wavy, generally undivided, not winged, fringed with minute spines, light green, whitish and 
cobwebby underneath. Not common. Wet meadows. June — August. Perennial. 
Melancholy Plume-Thistle. (Cnieus heterophyllus, Willd.)— Flower-heads large, 
f-i inch across, egg-shaped, solitary or rarely 2-3 clustered at the extremity of the main stem ; 
florets crimson-purple, perfect or otherwise ; flower-bracts lance-shaped, downy, not spinous, green, 
the outer tipped with purplish-olive, the inner with dull purple ; achenes oval, crowned with the 
feathery calyx-hairs (pappus). [As described in the genus Cnieus.] Stem 2-4 feet high, erect, cottony, 
