venus thistle

Cirsium occidentale var. venustum

Member of cobwebby thistle (Cirsium occidentale)
plume thistles (genus Cirsium)
thistles
sunflower family (family Asteraceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
red in flowering plants

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• heads generally long-peduncled, occasionally in tight clusters at peduncle ends, well elevated above proximal leaves
• phyllaries are tomentose, but aren’t significantly interconnected by cobwebby hairs
• phyllaries ascending, spreading, or reflexed (the angle of the phyllary’s curve, not the angle that it sticks out of the head)
• corolla bright red-pink to red (or rarely other random colors, but generally on the redder side of red-purple)
• common everywhere

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Chris’s observations: 9 (all are research grade)

Locations:

• Henry Coe SP: 3
• Sierra Vista OSP: 2
• Castle Rock SP
• Sanborn CP
• Sierra Azul; OSP
• Sunol Wilderness RP

Months:

• Apr.: 1
• May: 4
• Jun.: 3
• Jul.: 1

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Taxon info: iNaturalist – Calflora – CalPhotos – Jepson eFlora – FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora