Cirsium arvense
| Cirsium arvense | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Cirsium arvense (common name: creeping thistle)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 8 weeks at 20°c. A pernicious weed, not many people would want to invite this plant into their garden.
Cultivation: The creeping thistle is a pernicious garden weed, spreading freely from its aggressive root system[1][K], It can quickly form dense clumps of growth and really does not need to be introduced into the garden. Succeeds in any ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[2].
Plants are often dioecious[1].
A polymorphic species[1].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and Asia.
Habitat: Arable land, roadsides etc[3][4], a common weed of cultivated land[1].
Edibility: Root of first year plants - raw or cooked[5]. Nutritious but rather bland, they are best used in a mixture with other vegetables[3]. The root is likely to be rich in inulin, a starch that cannot be digested by humans. This starch thus passes straight through the digestive system and, in some people, ferments to produce flatulence[K].
Stems - they are peeled and cooked like asparagus or rhubarb[3][6][7][5].
Leaves - raw or cooked[7][5]. A fairly bland flavour, but the prickles need to be removed before the leaves can be eaten - not only is this rather fiddly but very little edible leaf remains[K]. The leaves are also used to coagulate plant milks etc[8][9][5].
Medicinal: The root is tonic, diuretic, astringent, antiphlogistic and hepatic[10]. It has been chewed as a remedy for toothache[11]. A decoction of the roots has been used to treat worms in children[12]. A paste of the roots, combined with an equal quantity of the root paste of Amaranthus spinosus, is used in the treatment of indigestion[13].
The plant contains a volatile alkaloid and a glycoside called cnicin, which has emetic and emmenagogue properties[14].
The leaves are antiphlogistic[10]. They cause inflammation and have irritating properties[207[.
Usage: The seed fluff is used as a tinder[15].
The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression[11]. The seed of this species contains about 22% oil[14].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera, beetles, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Carduus arvensis. Serratula arvensis.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.