Flowers. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Scottsdale Bush Heritage Reserve near Bredbo, NSW

Flowers and stems. Photo: Don Wood, south coast, NSW

Plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: CG Wilson, Kangaroo Island, SA

Stem and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: RCH Shepherd, Mt Eliza, Vic

Rosettes. Australian Plant Image Index: photo R Taylor, Victor Harbour, SA

Common Name

Winged Slender Thistle, Slender Thistle

Family

Asteraceae

Notes

Introduced annual forb to 1.6m tall. Spiny leaf edges, stems, and flowers. Leaves basal and alternating up the stems. Basal leaves 5-20 cm long, 20-80mm wide, flat, hairy, deeply lobed, spiny. Stem leaves with the bases continuing down the stems, flat, 5-15cm long, 20-60mm wide, hairy, deeply dissected into spiny lobes. Flower heads cylindrical, with many short pink or purple 'petals', in stalkless clusters of 3-10 at the ends of the stems. Declared plant in SA. Noxious weed Vic.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 724

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Carduus~tenuiflorus