Cirsium edule Nutt.

Biennials or monocarpic perennials, 20–350 cm; taprooted. Stems usually 1, erect, simple to openly branched in distal 1/2, ± villous with jointed trichomes, sometimes finely arachnoid, sometimes ± glabrate; branches 0–many, ascending. Leaves: blades oblong to elliptic or oblanceolate, 5–50 × 1–10 cm, plane to moderately undulate, coarsely dentate to deeply pinnatifid, lobes 5–10 well separated, linear, narrowly to broadly triangular, spinulose to spiny-dentate or shallowly lobed, main spines 3–10 mm, abaxial faces thinly to densely villous along major veins with septate trichomes, sometimes thinly arachnoid-tomentose, sometimes glabrescent, adaxial glabrous to sparsely villous or shaggy-tomentose along midveins with septate trichomes; basal often absent at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate or sessile; principal cauline well distributed, only gradually reduced, bases auriculate-clasping; distal moderately to strongly reduced, thin, often spinier than the proximal. Heads 1–many, erect, often crowded and ± sessile in tight clusters at stem tips, closely subtended by clusters of leafy bracts or not, collectively forming corymbiform or paniculiform arrays. Peduncles 0–5(–30) cm. Involucres narrowly ovoid to hemispheric or campanulate, 1.5–3.5 × 1.5–4 cm (including spines), loosely to densely arachnoid with fine, non-septate trichomes. Phyllaries in 4–8 series, subequal, green or often purplish, bodies short, appressed, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge, apices stiffly radiating to ascending, straight or flexuous, narrowly linear, plane to acicular, spines straight, slender, 1–10+ mm; outermost spiny-fringed or entire, mid entire or minutely serrulate; apices of inner straight, sometimes expanded and erose, flat. Corollas purple (pink or white), (15–)18–22(–33) mm, tubes 7–11 mm, throats (4–)5–8.5(–13) mm, lobes linear but not filiform, not knobbed at tips, (2–)4.5–7(–10) mm; style tips 3–4(–5) mm, conspicuously exserted beyond corolla lobes. Cypselae dark brown, 3.5–6.5 mm, apical collars not differentiated; pappi 9–19(–25) mm.

Wet meadows and open woods in mountains. Sea bluffs, roadsides, damp soil at edge of woods, openings in conifer or conifer-hardwood forests; at elevations from sea level to 900 metres.

The tap root is edible. The roots of young plants in their first year are peeled, cut up and steamed. They can be boiled in stews. The stem is peeled and eaten.

Can be grown by seedlings.