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Musk Thistle

©Philip Precey

Musk thistle

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Enw gwyddonol: Carduus nutans
A common thistle of roadside verges, rough grassland and waste ground, the Musk thistle has large, purple, nodding flower heads that appear in summer. It is attractive to a wide range of insects.

Top facts

Stats

Height: up to 1.5m

Conservation status

Common.

Pryd i'w gweld

June to August

Ynghylch

The Musk thistle is a common species of chalky soils and can be found on rough grassland, roadside verges, waste ground and scrub. Its large, nodding flower heads are distinctive and appear from June to August. As with the other thistles, it is attractive to a wide range of insects, and is the foodplant of the caterpillars of the Painted lady butterfly. Birds, such as Greenfinches and Linnets, also gorge on the seeds it produces.

What to look for

The Musk thistle has a large, nodding, thistle-like flower head on each stem that comprises bright pink florets (tiny flowers) fringed by spiny bracts (leaf-like structures). Its leaves are divided with spiny lobes, and its stems are winged and cottony.

Where to find

Found throughout the UK, but most common in England and Wales.

Roeddech chi yn gwybod?

The flowers of the Musk thistle have a sweet, musky smell, hence the common name.