# Queen Anne's thistle (*Cirsium canum*)

Queen Anne's thistle is a beautiful flower with spiky leaves and bright purple blooms. It attracts butterflies and bees, making gardens lively and colorful!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![Queen Anne's thistle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Cirsium_canum_inflorescence.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Pipi69e, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cirsium_canum_inflorescence.JPG)

## Appearance

The Queen Anne's thistle has stout, often hairy stems with deeply lobed, spiny, greyish-green leaves that run down the stem. Its round flower heads are vibrant purple or reddish-purple, resembling fluffy pom-poms, often emerging singly or in small clusters from spiny bracts.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Cirsium

## Interesting facts

- Wow, busy bees and bright butterflies love to sip nectar from its sweet purple flowers!
- Wow, goldfinches adore its dried seed heads, pecking out the tasty seeds for a snack!
- Wow, its seeds have special fluffy tufts, like tiny parachutes, to fly in the wind!
- Wow, this thistle can grow taller than some kids, reaching up to 2 meters high!

## Special abilities

- **Spiny Defender:** Queen Anne's thistle has sharp spines on its leaves and stems that help it defend against hungry animals trying to eat it.
- **Deep Drinker:** Queen Anne's thistle can grow a long taproot that helps it find water deep underground and survive during dry periods.
- **Wind Sailor:** Queen Anne's thistle has seeds with tiny feathery parachutes (pappus) that help them float far away on the wind to new places.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 50-200 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 2-4 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Common carder bee (*Bombus pascuorum*) — Gathers nectar from flowers.
- **Eats:** [European Goldfinch](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-goldfinch) (*Carduelis carduelis*) — Feeds on mature thistle seeds.
- **Depends on:** Thistle weevil (*Lixus iridis*) — Larvae bore into its stems.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Spiky/Thorny](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spiky-thorny): Possessing sharp, pointed projections or spines on the body or surface.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch the spiky leaves to stay safe!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Queen Anne's thistle?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Queen Anne's thistle?

50-200 cm

### How wide does Queen Anne's thistle spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Queen Anne's thistle?

2-4 cm

### When does Queen Anne's thistle bloom?

Summer

### Is Queen Anne's thistle edible?

No

### Is Queen Anne's thistle toxic?

None

### What is Queen Anne's thistle's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Queen Anne's thistle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/queen-annes-thistle)