- Taxon
- Weed
Habitat: coast, forest, forest edge, grassland, gravel, gully, hill, lowland, margin, moist, open, pasture, riverbed, roadside, sand, shrubland, slope, stone, terrace, track, wasteland
Dispersal: Seed
Recognition
- a short-lived biennial 'thistle' generally growing 50-150 cm tall.
- it has prominent spiny 'wings' along its upright ribbed stems.
- it leaves are without spines on the upper surface and are densely cobwebby beneath.
- its stout pink or purple coloured flower-heads are borne in small clusters at the tips of the stems.
- its greyish or greyish-brown seeds (3-3.5 mm long) are topped with a ring of hairs (8-12 mm long).
Images
References
Howell, C. 2008: Consolidated list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. DOC Research & Development Series 292: 42.
