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Cirsium japonicum Dc.

Japanese thistle (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Asterales > Asteraceae > Cirsium

Characteristics

A herb. It is a thistle plant. It grows 0.9-1.5 m tall and spreads 0.6-1.2 m wide. The leaves are oval and 8-20 cmlong by 3-8 cm wide. They have spines. It keeps branching into several erect slender stems. These end in 2.5-5 cm wide flower heads. These are pink or purple.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 1.0 - 1.2
Mature height (meter) 0.9 - 1.5
Root system fibrous-root tap-root
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 -

Environment

It is a temperate climate plant. It can grow on sandy shores. In China it grows on the edges of forests and wasteland between 400-2,100 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 5-9. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
More
Forests, forest margins, thickets, grasslands, wastelands, farmlands, roadsides, streamsides; at elevations from 400-2,100 metres. Sunny slopes in lowlands and foothills, C. and S. Japan.
Light 6-7
Soil humidity 3-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-8

Usage

Young leaves and roots are eaten. They are used as a potherb. They are stewed with meat. The roots are used for a sweet drink made from fermented rice.
Uses brewing food medicinal oil potherb
Edible leaves roots
Therapeutic use Abscess (aerial part), Gastrointestinal hemorrhage (aerial part), Hematuria (aerial part), Hemorrhage (aerial part), Abscess (root), Gastrointestinal hemorrhage (root), Hematuria (root), Hemorrhage (root), Bite(Snake) (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Hemostatic (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Epistaxis (unspecified), Hematuria (unspecified), Hemostat (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Metrorrhagia (unspecified), Nausea (unspecified), Hemoptysis (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 15 - 18
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 22
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -23
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Cirsium japonicum flower picture by Dan Wilson (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Cirsium japonicum world distribution map, present in China, Japan, Poland, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Taiwan, Province of China, and Viet Nam

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:195527-1
WFO ID wfo-0000062624
COL ID VJ33
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cirsium ibukiense Cirsium bodinieri Cirsium hainanense Cnicus cerberus Cnicus taquetii Cnicus bodinieri Cirsium lacinulatum Cirsium smithianum Cirsium nakaianum Cirsium xanthacanthum Cirsium kawakamii Cirsium kitagoense Cirsium belingschanicum Cnicus nakaianus Cirsium taquetii Cirsium kiusianum Cnicus japonicus Cirsium japonicum f. nakaianum Cirsium japonicum f. albiflorum Carduus eriophorus Cirsium belingshanicum Cirsium japonicum f. japonicum Carduus japonicus Alfredia japonica Cirsium cerberus Cirsium maackii var. horridum Cnicus japonicus subsp. japonicus Cnicus japonicus var. japonicus Cirsium japonicum var. japonicum Cirsium japonicum subsp. japonicum Cirsium maackii var. kiusianum Cirsium japonicum var. fukienense Cirsium japonicum var. horridum Cirsium japonicum var. kiusianum Cnicus japonicus var. intermedius Cirsium japonicum var. intermedium Cirsium maackii var. intermedium Cirsium maackii var. vulcani Cirsium japonicum var. ibukiense Cirsium japonicum var. vulcani Cirsium japonicum Cirsium japonicum f. fukienense Cirsium senile Cirsium japonicum var. villosum

Lower taxons

Cirsium japonicum var. vestitum Cirsium japonicum var. maackii Cirsium japonicum var. diabolicum Cirsium japonicum var. maritimum
WorldFloraDB 2024