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Annual Biennial

Carduus crispus

welted thistle

The welted thistle is a branched biennial reaching up to 1.5m in height. Leaves are pinnately lobed and downy stems are spiny and winged until just below the terminal clusters of purple flowers that are encased in woolly bracts, opening in June and August

Synonyms

Carduus acanthoides misapplied

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Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

1–2 years

Ultimate spread

0–0.1 metre

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Asteraceae
Native to the UK: Yes
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: A genus of annual or biennial flowering plants known as 'plumeless thistles', native to Eurasia and Africa, many recognised as a nuisance to agricultural and horticultural crops. They have hairy, spiny upright stems and toothed. lobed foliage topped with rounded, bristly heads in white, pink or purple
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Europe, N Asia

How to grow

Cultivation

Occurs naturally in w wide range of soils in scrub, woodland glades and verges

Propagation

Propagate by seed

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildflower meadow
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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