Cirsium brevistylum aka Indian Thistle

Cirsium brevistylum is in the aster family, also called Asteraceae. People call it Indian thistle and clustered thistle. It is native to western Canada and the western United States. Records place it in southern British Columbia. They also list Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. It grows in northwestern Montana too. In California, it grows on slopes with brush or trees. It lives in mixed evergreen woods and coastal scrub.

This plant is a short-lived perennial: it lives for several years. Yet it often grows as a biennial, with a two-year life. It reaches about 6 feet [1.8 metres] tall. Its thick taproot grows below ground and looks like a carrot. The account says little about its leaves or stems. It gives no flower colour or time of bloom. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects move pollen from flower to flower. The plant also bears seeds with floss.

The species account says it prefers moist soil. It can grow in light shade or full sun. It grows in sand, loam, and clay soils. The soil can be mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline. PFAF lists it for woodland gardens and shaded edges. These sites match the woods and scrub where it grows. The source is not sure how hardy it is in Britain. It gives gardeners no tested hardiness zone.

People have used both roots and stems as food. They peel the roots, then eat them raw or cooked. They peel the stems before eating them too. PFAF ranks these parts among the thistle foods that taste better. People have chewed the flowerheads to get their nectar. The source says the root may have much inulin. Humans cannot digest this type of carbohydrate. As it ferments in the gut, it may cause gas. PFAF lists no known hazards. This does not mean the plant is safe for pets. PFAF records no use of this species as medicine.

People have used the seed floss in clothes for babies. They spun it with yellow cedar's inner bark. To grow new plants, PFAF says to sow seeds in place. Sow them where the plants will grow. It lists early spring or autumn as times to sow. Seeds can take two to eight weeks to sprout at 20°C. The supplied account names no specific pests or diseases.