Cirsium vulgare
Spear Thistle ( Cirsium vulgare)
The Spear Thistle ( Cirsium vulgare Cirsium lanceolatum well ), also called lancet thistle is a plant that belongs to the subfamily of Carduoideae within the sunflower family ( Asteraceae).
The Spear Thistle looks similar to the creeping thistle and marsh thistle.
Features
The Spear Thistle is an annual to perennial plant and reaches a height of 50 to 350 centimeters. The leaves are alternate, the leaf shape is oval to lanceolate. The leaves are twice pinnate and decurrent on the stem. The upper leaf surface is spiny- hispid, the lower short-haired to white tomentose. All Fiederabschnitte are serrated thorny and run in a long yellow thorn out.
The flower heads have a diameter of up to 4 centimeters. During the height of the basket in the height of the flowers is almost twice as wide as the top part of the basket shell. The Basket Case has no wool felt. The flowers are purple. Bloom time is from July to October, the pollination is done by insects. The Achänenfrüchte have a flattened - cylindrical shape. The pappus consists of long, feathery hairs rays.
The chromosome number is 2n = 68 or 102
Ecology
The Spear Thistle is a two-year Hemikryptophyt with tuberose root. The rosette of leaves formed in the second year is very regular.
Unlike Cirsium arvense this type is a pure pollen flower without nectar production. The flowering period extends from June to September.
The fruits are 4-5 mg heavy achenes with a hygroscopic hair chalice; they spread by the wind., and due to their high weight a case rate of only 22cm/sec There is also a processing spread by finches.
Fruit ripening extends from August to November.
As a pasture weed the Spear Thistle can be very annoying. Goethe was also an excellent botanist and gardener for his time, already knew that one, Mr. by punching the rosettes of the thistle infestation. In his " Italian Journey " he expresses himself accordingly disparagingly of the Italian shepherd.
The type is one of the food plants of the caterpillars of the thistle butterfly (Vanessa cardui ), which usually sit in a composite sheet or spun a web between the stem and leaf growth.
Subspecies
In Central Europe, there are two subspecies:
- Cirsium vulgare subsp. vulgare is only about 1.5 m high, but richly branched. The leaves are wrinkled, the bottoms are short haired. It grows in southern regions until well into October.
- Cirsium vulgare subsp. sylvaticum ( exchange) Dostal is up to 3.5 m high and has a few tight upright branches. The leaves are flat, the bottoms are soft and white hairs. They are found mainly in shady locations such as forests. Flowering time is July and August.
Occurrence
One finds the Spear Thistle frequently in perennial weeds rich companies in ways dumps, banks and in forest beats. It is an indigenous Art It prefers rich soil in bright places. After Ellenberg it is a light plant, a default pointer heat, a freshness indicator, a weak acid to weak base pointer, an outspoken nitrogen pointer and a Klassencharakterart ruderal mugwort and safflower companies ( Artemisienea vulgaris).
Diseases
The Cirsium vulgare var is infected by the rust fungus Puccinia cnici cnici.