Asteraceae

Cirsium cymosum

Peregrine Thistle

Erect, straight stems, usually unbranched below inflorescence, covered with soft, cobwebby, straight hairs. Leaves attached with little or no stalk, often clasping stem, narrowly oblong, pinnately divided, with many spines at lobe tips. Leaves lightly coated with cobwebby straight hairs on upper side, heavier on underside especially along midrib. Flower heads few to many, cream to pale brown, in cyme on short or absent stalks. Bracts of 1/2–1 in. cups are sticky, with short prickles. Grows in rocky soils, sometimes serpentine, in shrublands and open woods, including Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: All Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 2--5 feet
• Habitat: East-Side Forest, Shrub-Steppe
• Found In: Siskiyou Monument
• Native: Yes