Cirsium oleraceum, the cabbage thistle or Siberian thistle, is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium within the family Asteraceae, native to central and eastern Europe and Asia, where it grows in wet lowland soils.Altervista Flora Italiana, Cardo giallastro, Siberian thistle, Cirsium oleraceum (L.) Scop. includes photos and European distribution map
Cirsium oleraceum is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.5 m tall, the stems unbranched or with only a very few branches. The leaves are broad and ovoid, with a weakly spiny margin, being pinnatipartite. The flowers are produced in dense flower heads which are 2.5–4 cm diameter, pale yellow, but sometimes tinged pink.Mansfield crop database: Cirsium oleraceum
Its specific epithet oleraceum means "vegetable/herbal" in Latin and is a form of ().
Distribution
It is found native throughout Europe, with the exception of Portugal, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Crimea, Ciscaucasia, Povolzhye, and the Mediterranean islands. It is found naturalised in the British Isles, Finland, and Central Siberia. It is also native to West Siberia, the Altai, and Kazakhstan.
Usage For cooking: In salads the young stems and leaves are edible, and cultivated for food in Japan and India.
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