''Cirsium parryi'', or Parry's thistle, is a species of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n flowering plants in the family
Asteraceae. It is native to the
southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...
, where it has been found in
Colorado,
Arizona, and
New Mexico.
[''Cirsium parryi''.]
The Nature Conservancy.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
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''Cirsium parryi'' is a biennial herb with a hairy stem growing up to 200 cm (80 inches) tall or more. The leaves are oblong or lance-shaped and measure 10 to 30 centimeters (4-12 inches) long. They are often toothed or divided partly into lobes. The lower ones have usually withered by flowering time. The inflorescence may contain many flower heads
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...
at the end of the stem and near the upper leaves. Each is up to 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) wide with spiny bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
s at the base. The spiny phyllaries along the sides of the flower head are green with brownish tips. In the head are many flowerss which are generally yellowish, or sometimes purplish or white. There are no ray florets. The fruit is an achene
An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...
which may be over 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) long including its pappus.[''Cirsium parryi''.]
Flora of North America.
This plant grows in moist areas in coniferous forests and meadows and near streams.[
This species may form hybrids with '' C. grahamii'' in Arizona and '' C. canescens'' in Colorado.][
]
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5122068
parryi
Plants described in 1874
Flora of the Western United States
Taxa named by Asa Gray