Asteraceae

Cirsium canovirens

Gray-Green Thistle

Gray-green erect plant, usually 1 branched stem. Stem tops covered with gray or white felted hairs. Lowest leaves oval, to 15 in. long, lobed and edged with spines, covered with matted, woolly hairs, thicker on underside; stem leaves smaller, very prickly with spines. Flower heads 1–2 in. across in raceme-like clusters at tops of stalks. Flowers dull white or pale lavender in cups lightly covered with cobwebby hairs, outer bracts end in spines. Grows on clay or rocky soils in arid places, including Steens Mountain.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: All Summer
• Life Cycle: Biennial, Perennial
• Height: 15--40 inches
• Habitat: Shrub-Steppe
• Found In: Steens
• Native: Yes