Tall thistle is a wildflower that is native to the eastern half of the USA in the aster (Asteraceae) family. It can be found in both disturbed and undisturbed sites, This plant is a biennial or short-lived perennial that forms a rosette of leaves about 1 foot across the first year and blooms the second year. The bloom stem can be 3-10 feet tall depending on conditions and the amount of sunshine. Tall thistle prefers full sun to light shade and is more shade tolerant than other thistles. It tolerates both dry and moist sites and prefers a fertile well-drained sandy or clay loam. The basal leaves have spines along the margins with a few hairs and are more deeply pinnatifid than stem leaves. During the second year, the tough hairy stems appear with alternate leaves that have hairs on the upper surface and are densely hairy on the underside. These leaves vary in shape and can have lobed, entire or toothed margins. There is generally a spine at the point of the lobes or the teeth. Non-native thistles generally bloom in spring and have more spines. Late summer into fall the individual flower heads appear with pink to purple disc flowers that are about 2 inches across. Many pollinators are attracted to the abundant nectar this plant produces. After blooming the seed heads are formed with long hairs that are wind-dispersed. The plant then turns brown and withers. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication Unlike non-native thistles, this plant doesn't become weedy and can make a wonderful addition to the native pollinator garden. Use tall thistle at the edge of forests, in naturalized areas, in meadows and pond margins. It reproduces by seed. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Coarse
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate; Oblanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Entire; Lobed
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Basal leaves are green, 6 inches long and deeply pinnatifid. Stem leaves are up to 9 inches long and 3 inches across. They are generally larger on the lower stem. Shape varies greatly and can be lanceolate, oblanceolate, or elliptic. Margins can be lobed, dentate of entire. Spines are present on the lobes and the underside is densely hairy giving it a white appearance.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Flowers have disc florets only and are up to 2 inches across. Colors are pink to purple and rarely white. Each small tubular floret has 5 slender petals. The base of the inflorescence has overlapping scales. Bloom time is late summer to fall and last 30-45 days.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
The bullet-shaped achenes have tufts of cottony white hairs. They are wind-dispursed.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Stems are light green to reddish brown with longitudinal ridges and densely hairy. They are sparsely branched.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Distribution
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Wildlife value
Many bees, butterflies and moths are attracted to the nectar. The caterpillars of two butterflies, Calephelis muticum (Swamp Metalmark) and Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) use it as a host plant. Songbirds will eat the seeds. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees.