Practical
Plants

Cirsium arvense

Creeping Thistle

a perennial member of the Cirsium genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Cirsium
Life cycle
perennial
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.9 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Beetles, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Beetles, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root of first year plants - raw or cooked[6]. Nutritious but rather bland, they are best used in a mixture with other vegetables[15]. The root is likely to be rich in inulin, a starch that cannot be digested by humans. This starch thus passes straight through the digestive system and, in some people, ferments to produce flatulence[K]. Stems - they are peeled and cooked like asparagus or rhubarb[15][2][5][6]. Leaves - raw or cooked[5][6]. A fairly bland flavour, but the prickles need to be removed before the leaves can be eaten - not only is this rather fiddly but very little edible leaf remains[K]. The leaves are also used to coagulate plant milks etc[13][14][6].

Product or use
Curdling agent
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Stem

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The root is tonic, diuretic, astringent, antiphlogistic and hepatic[8]. It has been chewed as a remedy for toothache[12]. A decoction of the roots has been used to treat worms in children[10]. A paste of the roots, combined with an equal quantity of the root paste of Amaranthus spinosus, is used in the treatment of indigestion[11]. The plant contains a volatile alkaloid and a glycoside called cnicin, which has emetic and emmenagogue properties[9]. The leaves are antiphlogistic[8]. They cause inflammation and have irritating properties[207[.

Product or use
Antiphlogistic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emetic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Hepatic
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed fluff is used as a tinder[1]. The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression[12]. The seed of this species contains about 22% oil[9].

Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Tinder

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and Asia.
Habitat
Arable land, roadsides etc[15][3], a common weed of cultivated land[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 8 weeks at 20°c. A pernicious weed, not many people would want to invite this plant into their garden.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The creeping thistle is a pernicious garden weed, spreading freely from its aggressive root system[17, K], It can quickly form dense clumps of growth and really does not need to be introduced into the garden. Succeeds in any ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[7]. Plants are often dioecious[4]. A polymorphic species[4].

References

  1. Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-090-x

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  2. Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2

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  3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

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  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  8. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩1↩2

  9. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  10. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

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  11. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

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  12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

  13. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  14. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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  15. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

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