Calflora
Taxon  Report   1503 
Carduus nutans  L.
Musk thistle,  Nodding plumeless thistle
Carduus nutans
© 2007 Steve Matson
Click on a photo to see it bigger.
CalPhotos
Carduus nutans
© 2007 Thomas Stoughton
Carduus nutans
© 2009 Barry Breckling
Carduus nutans, a dicot, is a perennial herb that is not native to California; it was introduced from elsewhere and naturalized in the wild.
It is an invasive plant. The California Invasive Plant Council classifies its potential impact on native ecosystems as moderate (plant profile / CalWeedMapper).

Interactive Distribution Map


Observation Hotline
(observation details + photos)



point, line, or polygon

one or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle

Plant Characteristics
and Associations


Bloom Period
Carduus nutans
© 2005 Louis-M. Landry
Family: ASTERACEAE  
Genus: Carduus
Communities:
weed, characteristic of disturbed places
Habitat: disturbed [Walker]
Name Status:
Accepted by TJM2 + PLANTS + JM93
 Alternate Names:
(according to)
PLANTS: Carduus macrocephalus
PLANTS: Carduus macrolepis
PLANTS: Carduus nutans ssp. leiophyllus
PLANTS: Carduus nutans ssp. macrocephalus
PLANTS: Carduus nutans ssp. macrolepis
PLANTS: Carduus nutans ssp. nutans
PLANTS: Carduus nutans var. leiophyllus
PLANTS: Carduus nutans var. macrocephalus
PLANTS: Carduus nutans var. vestitus
More information about  Carduus nutans
Photos on CalPhotos / Google Images
Jepson eFlora

Records from the Consortium of California Herbaria

Original Publication citation (ITIS)

USDA PLANTS Profile (CANU4)

Search the International Plants Names Index

Search efloras.org (Flora of North America)

website references from Google


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation,
with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals, including the Consortium of California Herbaria.
[web application]. 2017. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization].
Available: http://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: Jul 14, 2017).

The information on this page comes from diverse sources. None of the links are sponsored.