The seeds of this weed are short-lived on the soils surface but can lay dormant in the soil for many years. Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare Aster family (Asteraceae) Description: This plant is an obligatory biennial that forms a rosette of leaves during the first year, and bolts upward during the second year to produce flowers. This broadleaf weed has a fleshy taproot the first year, and then a fibrous root system forms the second year. The middle and upper stems of large plants with narrow, very spiny leaf-like wings running lengthwise. As a biennial, bull thistle has a two‐year life cycle. Reproducing only by seed. Stems. It has a deep taproot, which makes manual pulling a challenge. Flowers are dark pink to purple with spined bracts. It likes pastures, edges of woods, waste places, fence lines and roadsides. It is often confused with musk thistle, which usually lacks the leaf hairs. The hairy, prickly leaves overwinter to develop stems and branches of up to 2 feet in spring. Life Cycle. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare):Common in Clackamas County, moderately invasive, see our weed profile Biennial; Stems are leafy, stout, branched, and somewhat woolly; Flower heads are large, rose to purple with many sharp spine-tipped bracts The flowering stems elongate and flower in the second year. Reproduction: By seed . It forms occasional side stems, but remains erect in stature, reaching 3-6' in height. The heads of purple Plants grow vegetatively their first year as rosettes of green, prickly, sparsely hairy leaves. Bull thistle is a weed that can grow in a wide range of environments but prefers disturbed areas. Bull thistle has a biennial (two-year) life cycle. The leaves have rough hairs on the upper surface and soft hairs on the lower. They are in rosette stage in the first year and flower and set seeds in the second year. Musk Thistle. Bull thistle starts life as a spiny leaved rosette. The tip of each of the lobes of the bull thistle has a long, yellow spine. Biennial. Other Names: Life Cycle: Biennial Description: The bull thistle is primarily a pasture weed having spiny-winged stems and leaves. Weedy characteristics: Bull thistle is highly competitive and aggressive, and forms dense colonies that choke out native vegetation important to wildlife and pollinators. Bull thistle reaches a height of from 2 to 6 feet. Bull Thistle leaves grow alternate from each other and form a rosette. About Bull Thistle: The Bull Thistle is a biennial weed that reproduces by the wind blowing their seeds. Bull Thistle has a two year life span. Basal rosette forms the first year. Stems are erect, 30-150 cm high but rarely much taller, usually widely branched and short-hairy. Life cycle: Biennial. Thistles can be found growing in many locations--lawns, garden beds, along the roadside, and in pastures and fields. In summer the plant grows a scented flower that resembles a spiny globe topped with fringed pink petals. Flowering stems reach 2-5 ft in height. https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/bull-thistle-cirsium-vulgare It tends to grow best in soils with intermediate moisture although it will grow in dry and wet soils. The flowering stems elongate and flower in the second year. top. Life Cycle. Bolts, flowers, and dies in the second year. Bull Thistle spreads by seeds. The plants die after flowering or after the first frost of that second year. Leaf margins are toothed with sharp spines. The plants die after flowering or after the first frost. Musk thistle (Carduus nutans) is a 3- to 8-foot biennial thistle. top. Seeds germinate rapidly and are spread by wind. Propagation. Plants grow vegetatively their first year as rosettes of green, sparsely hairy leaves. Reaching 3-6 ' in height and short-hairy each of the bull thistle has a two‐year life cycle overwinter develop... Tends to grow best in soils with intermediate moisture although it will grow in dry wet! 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