Practical
Plants

Cirsium oleraceum

Cabbage Thistle

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Cirsium
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.2 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.

Young leaves - cooked and used as a vegetable[7][11][12][1][2][6]. Root - cooked[7][9]. Harvested before the plant flowers, it was formerly used as a table vegetable[6]. 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].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Material uses

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

The seed fluff is used as a tinder[3]. The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression[10]. No details of potential yields etc are given[K].

Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Tinder

Environment

Range
C. Europe. Naturalized in Britain[5].
Habitat
Marshes, fens, streamsides and wet woods in Britain, avoiding acid soils[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
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[4]. 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[8]. Plants avoid acid soils in the wild[5]. A good bee and butterfly plant[5].

References

  1. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

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

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

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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2

  7. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

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

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  9. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

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

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

    ↩

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

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