Flower and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: RCH Shepherd, near Smeaton, Vic

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: RCH Shepherd, near Smeaton, Vic

Plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: RG and FJ Richardson, Little River, Vic

Leaf. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: RG and FJ Richardson, Little River, Vic

Common Name

Golden Thistle

Family

Asteraceae

Notes

Introduced biennial or perennial forb to 1m tall. Leaf edges spiny. Leaves basal and alternating up the stems, flat, 4-30cm long, 15-70mm wide, more or less hairy, deeply divided into rigid spiny segments, the leaf bases extending down the stems to form spiny wings. Flower heads yellow, with many yellow 'petals', bell-shaped, borne singly on short stalks arising from the bases of the upper leaves, appearing to be in clusters at the ends of the stems. Noxious weed in all of NSW. Noxious weed in 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 722

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