Cirsium edule

Nutt.

Edible thistle

Asteraceae Edible: Root, Stem 2,601 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Cirsium edule, the edible thistle or Indian thistle, is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium, native to western North America from southeastern Alaska south through British Columbia to Washington and Oregon, and locally inland to Idaho. It is a larval host to the mylitta crescent and the painted lady. Cirsium edule is a tall herbaceous perennial plant, reaching 1–2 m (39–79 in) in height. The leaves are very spiny, lobed, 10–30 cm long and 2–5 cm broad (smaller on the upper part of the flower stem). The inflorescence is 3–4 cm diameter, purple, with numerous disc florets but no ray florets. The achenes are 4–5 mm long, with a downy pappus which assists in wind dispersal. It is monocarpic, growing as a low rosette of leaves for a number of years, then sending up the tall flowering stem in spring, with the plant dying after seed maturation. Edible thistle is used by Native Americans for its edible roots and young shoots. The roots are sweet, but contain inulin, which gives some people digestive problems. Varieties Cirsium edule var. edule - Oregon, Washington Cirsium edule var. macounii (Greene) D.J.Keil - Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska Cirsium edule var. edule wenatchense D.J.Keil - Washington

Description

A herb. It is a thistle. It grows 20-350 cm high. There is usually one stem. It has a tap-root and the plant grows for 2 years or a few years. The leaves are in a ring at the base and are prickly.

Edible Uses

The root is edible cooked and is likely rich in inulin, a starch that humans cannot digest. It passes straight through the digestive system unchanged and may ferment in some individuals, producing flatulence. Young stems can be peeled and eaten raw; they are soft and sweet and are considered a luxury food. Young shoots, harvested in spring, can be eaten raw or cooked as greens. Seed oil can also be extracted by expression.

Traditional Uses

The tap root is edible. The roots of young plants in their first year are peeled, cut up and steamed. They can be boiled in stews. The stem is peeled and eaten.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in wet meadows and moist open woods.

Where It Grows

Alaska, Canada, North America, USA,

Cultivation

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any ordinary garden soil in a sunny position. A monocarpic species, it grows for a number of years without flowering but then dies after flowering.

Propagation

Sow seed in early spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually occurs within 2–8 weeks at 20°C.

Other Uses

The seeds of all thistle species yield a useful oil by expression, though no details on potential yields are given.

Notes

There are about 150-250 Cirsium species. They grow in temperate regions.

Also Known As

Hall's thistle

References (8)

Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
Flora of North America. www.eFloras.org
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 231
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Saunders, C.F., 1948, Edible and Useful Wild Plants. Dover. New York. p 40

Show all 8 references

Tozer, F., 2007, The Uses of Wild Plants. Green Man Publishing. p 69
Turner, N., 1997, Food Plants of Interior First Peoples. Royal BC Museum Handbook p 95
Turner, N., et al, 2011, "Up on the Mountain": Ethnobotanical Important of Montane Sites in Pacific Coastal North America. Journal of Ethnobiology 31(1): 4-43