Cirsium oleraceum aka Cabbage Thistle

Cirsium oleraceum, commonly known as the cabbage thistle or Siberian thistle, is a clump-forming perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Cirsium in the Asteraceae family. Native to central and eastern Europe as well as Asia, this species thrives in wet lowland soils. Reaching a height of 1.2 meters, Cirsium oleraceum features unbranched or minimally branched stems. Its mid-green leaves are broad and ovoid, with softly-spiny edges. The flowers, which appear in dense flower heads measuring 2.5-4 cm in diameter, are typically pale yellow but can sometimes exhibit a pinkish hue. These flower heads are surrounded by large green bracts and bloom during late summer and early autumn. The specific epithet "oleraceum" derives from the Latin word for "vegetable/herbal" and is a variation of "holeraceus." Interestingly, this thistle has been used as a vegetable in some instances.