Cirsium eatonii

Cirsium eatonii
	Cirsium eatonii var. clokeyi; in Southern Nevada
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Cynareae
Genus:	Cirsium
Species:	C. eatonii
Binomial name
	Cirsium eatonii; (A.Gray) B.L.Rob.
Synonyms
	Synonymy Carduus leiocarpus A.Heller ; Carduus leiocephalus (D.C.Eaton) A.Heller ; Cirsium eatonii var. harrisonii S.L.Welsh ; Cirsium eriocephalum var. leiocephalum D.C.Eaton ; Cnicus eatonii A.Gray ; Carduus hookerianus var. eriocephalus (A.Gray) A.Nelson, syn of var. eriocephalum ; Carduus scopulorum Greene, syn of var. eriocephalum ; Cirsium eriocephalum A.Gray 1864 not Wallr. 1840, syn of var. eriocephalum ; Cirsium hookerianum var. eriocephalum (A.Gray) A.Nelson, syn of var. eriocephalum ; Cirsium scopulorum (Greene) Cockerell, syn of var. eriocephalum ; Cirsium scopulorum (Greene) Cockerell ex Daniels , syn of var. eriocephalum ; Cnicus eriocephalus A.Gray, syn of var. eriocephalum ; Carduus hesperius A.Heller, syn of var. hesperium ; Carduus hookerianus var. hesperius (Eastw.) A.Nelson, syn of var. hesperium ; Cirsium hesperium (Eastw.) Petr., syn of var. hesperium ; Cnicus hesperius Eastw., syn of var. hesperium ; Carduus polyphyllus Rydb., syn of var. murdockii ; Carduus tweedyi Rydb., syn of var. murdockii ; Cirsium murdockii (S.L.Welsh) Cronquist, syn of var. murdockii ; Cirsium polyphyllum (Rydb.) Petr., syn of var. murdockii ; Cirsium tweedyi (Rydb.) Petr., syn of var. murdockii ; Cirsium peckii L.F.Hend., syn of var. peckii ;

Cirsium eatonii, commonly known as Eaton's thistle or mountaintop thistle, is a North American species of flowering plants in the aster family.^[2]^[3]

The species has been found in Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and Colorado.^[4]

Description

Cirsium eatonii is an erect herb up to 150 cm (60 inches or 5 feet) tall. Leaves are generally hairless but the entire foliage is covered with many long, white spines. One plant produces several flower heads with pink to purple flowers. The species grows in grasslands, sagebrush steppes, open savannahs, etc.^[3]

Varieties^[1]^[3]

A number of varieties have been identified, which include:

Cirsium eatonii var. clokeyi - Clokey thistle, Spring Mountains thistle, white-spine thistle - Nevada
Cirsium eatonii var. eatonii - Nevada, Utah
Cirsium eatonii var. eriocephalum - alpine thistle, mountain thistle - Colorado, New Mexico, Utah
Cirsium eatonii var. hesperium - tall mountain thistle - Colorado
Cirsium eatonii var. murdockii - northern mountain thistle - Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming
Cirsium eatonii var. peckii - ghost thistle, Steens Mountain thistle - Nevada, Oregon
Cirsium eatonii var. viperinum - Snake Range thistle - Nevada

References

^ ^a ^b The Plant List, Cirsium eatonii (A.Gray) B.L.Rob.
^ "Taxon: Cirsium eatonii (A. Gray) B. L. Rob". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Cirsium eatonii". Flora of North America. efloras.org. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
^ "Cirsium eatonii (A. Gray) B.L. Rob". USDA PLANTS database. Retrieved 11 March 2012.

External links

Media related to Cirsium eatonii at Wikimedia Commons
United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile for Cirsium eatonii (Eaton's thistle)

[w-1] The Plant List, Cirsium eatonii (A.Gray) B.L.Rob.

[GRIN-2] "Taxon: Cirsium eatonii (A. Gray) B. L. Rob". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area. Retrieved 11 March 2012.

[FONA-3] "Cirsium eatonii". Flora of North America. efloras.org. Retrieved 11 March 2012.

[USDA-4] "Cirsium eatonii (A. Gray) B.L. Rob". USDA PLANTS database. Retrieved 11 March 2012.

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