Practical
Plants

Cirsium occidentale

Cobwebby Thistle

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Cirsium
Life cycle
perennial
Height
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 - cooked[6][7][1]. A pleasant taste after prolonged boiling[2]. 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]. Stem - peeled and eaten raw[7].

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Stem

Material uses

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

The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression[5]. No details of potential yields etc are given[K].

Product or use
Oil

Environment

Range
South-western N. America - S. California.
Habitat
Sandy places by the coast and into the nearby hills[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
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[3]. Division in spring or autumn.

Cultivation

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

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[4]. This species is not very frost hardy and is unlikely to succeed outdoors away from the mildest areas of Britain[4]. Closely related to C. coulteri[4], it hybridizes with that species in the wild[8].

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  2. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  3. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  8. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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