Cirsium helenioides (L.) Hill

Melancholy thistle (en), Cirse hétérophylle (fr), Cirse faux hélénium (fr), Cirse fausse hélénie (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Asterales > Asteraceae > Cirsium

Characteristics

Perennials, 40–120 cm; runner roots. Stems single, erect, ± arachnoid-tomentose; branches 0 or few, ascending. Leaves oblong to broadly lanceolate, 20–40 × 4–8 cm, finely spinulose-dentate or proximal cauline pinnatifid, lobes undivided, finely spinulose-dentate, main spines 1–2 mm, abaxial faces white-tomentose (with non-septate trichomes), adaxial glabrous; basal present at flowering, petiolate, bases tapered; cauline sessile, reduced distally, bases clasping, not decurrent; distal (few, well separated), oblong or linear, the uppermost reduced to linear bracts. Heads borne singly or less commonly 2–5 in terminal clusters. Peduncles 2–10(–30) cm (elevated above distal leaves). Involucres broadly ovoid, 2–3 × 2–3.5 cm, glabrous or loosely arachnoid. Phyllaries in 8–10 series, imbricate, green, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with a prominent elongate glutinous ridge, outer and middle tightly appressed, margins entire, apices with ascending, weak spines 0–1 mm; apices of inner phyllaries attenuate, flat. Corollas red-purple, 25–30 mm, tubes 10–23 mm, throats 8–14 mm (noticeably wider than tubes. , lobes 7–10 mm; style tips 4–5 mm. Cypselae light brown, 3–5 mm, bodies and apical collars concolorous; pappi 20–30 mm. 2n = 34.
More
Herbs 0.4-2 m tall, perennial. Stems erect, branched above, ribbed, unwinged, sparsely cobwebby. Leaves discolorous, surface smooth, abaxially grayish white and densely felted, adaxially green and with multicellular hairs. Basal leaves present at anthesis, long petiolate. Lower and middle cauline leaves sessile, ± narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 10-30 × 4-6 cm, undivided, semiamplexicaul, margin with numerous obliquely triangular teeth tipped by a 0.5-1 mm spinule and smaller regular spinules in sinuses. Upper cauline leaves similar but gradually smaller upward. Capitula 1 to few, corymbose, erect. Involucre campanulate, ca. 2.5 cm in diam., glabrous or subglabrous. Phyllaries imbricate, in ca. 6 rows, lacking marginal spinules, wings, and scarious appendage; outer and middle phyllaries triangular to lanceolate-elliptic, 6-10 × 1.5-2 mm, apex acute and tipped with a spinule less than 0.2 mm; inner phyllaries elliptic to linear-elliptic, 13-15 × 2-2.5 mm, apex acuminate and scarious. Florets bisexual. Corolla red, ca. 2 cm, tube ca. 8 mm. Achene yellowish, ca. 4.5 mm. Pappus bristles white or dirty white, ca. 2 cm. Fl. and fr. Sep. 2n = 34.
A thistle
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.1 - 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.4 - 1.4
Root system fibrous-root rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 5-7
Soil texture 3-4
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-8

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 15 - 18
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Cirsium helenioides unspecified picture

Distribution

Cirsium helenioides world distribution map, present in China and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:195454-1
WFO ID wfo-0000005084
COL ID VHZ4
BDTFX ID 17642
INPN ID 91345
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Carduus helenioides Cirsium helenioides Cirsium heterophylloides Cnicus helenioides Cirsium helenioides var. helenioides Cirsium helenioides var. altaicum Cirsium heterophyllum var. angarense Cirsium heterophyllum subsp. angarense Cnicus helenioides