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    1. Catchment Management
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    6. Salinity Indicator Plants
      1. Common Name
      2. Scientific Name
      3. Common Family Name
      4. Scientific Family Name
      5. Key to Families or Genera
      6. Salinity in the Loddon Murray Region
      7. Salinity in the Central and Northern Victorian Region
      8. Salinity in the Western Region
      9. Salinity in the Wimmera Region
      10. Salinity in the Mallee Region
      11. Salinity in the Gippsland Region
      12. Salinity in the Coastal Region
    7. Salinity Management
    8. Declared Water Supply Catchments

Spear Thistle

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Spear Thistle photos

Scientific Name:Cirsium vulgare
Spear Thistle plant
Spear Thistle plant
Photo: A J Brown

Other Common Names:
Black Thistle, Bull Thistle, Scotch Thistle

Status:
Native of Europe, Asia and North Africa. Naturalised around the world and over much of the wetter parts of Australia except in the Northern Territory and northern tropics.

Plant Description:

An annual or short-term perennial herb with erect growth to 1.5 m tall. Stems have spiny wings and are cobwebby. Leaves are obovate to lanceolate (spear-like), to 30 cm long and toothed to deeply lobed with spiny margins. Upper leaf surface is dark green and rough while the lower surface is white with short matted hairs.

The purple flower-heads are 12-40 mm diameter surrounded by long recurved spiny bracts. Fruit is an achene 3-6 mm long with a pappus (a ring of hairs that aid wind dispersal) 2-3 cm long.

Habitat:
A common species of wet or summer-moist land, including swamps, depressions, drains, waste-land, pastures and cultivated soils. Prefers open, non-shaded environments, heavy textured soils and good fertility. Will tolerate slight to moderate salinity and periodic waterlogging but does not survive prolonged inundation.

RegionSalinity ClassWaterlogging Class
MalleeS0, S1W2
Loddon Murray, Central and Northern, Wimmera, Western, GippslandS0, S1, S2W1, W2

Comments:
Listed as a noxious weed in Victoria. The plant can dominate herbaceous vegetation. The spines can become lodged in sheep wool.

Spear Thistle

Spear Thistle leaves
Spear Thistle leaves
Photo: A J Brown
Spined-tipped leaf of Spear Thistle
Spine-tipped leaf of Spear Thistle
Photo: A J Brown

Spear Thistle flowerheads
Spear Thistle flower-heads
Photo: A J Brown

Spear Thistle flowerhead
Spear Thistle flower-head
Photo: A J Brown

Developing flower-head of Spear Thistle
Developing flower-head of Spear Thistle
Photo: A J Brown

Related Links
  • Spear Thistle on the Invasive Plants section of the VRO website
  • Spear Thistle on the Weed Identification Website (external link)
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