Cirsium neomexicanum A. Gray

More info for the term: forb

New Mexico thistle
lavender thistle



TAXONOMY:
The currently accepted scientific name for New Mexico thistle is Cirsium
neomexicanum Gray [8,14,19]. It is a member of the sunflower family
(Asteraceae). The following varieties are recognized [19]:

Cirsium neomexicanum var. neomexicanum
Cirsium neomexicanum var. utahense (Petrak) Welsh


LIFE FORM:
Forb

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status

OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY





DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Cirsium neomexicanum
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
New Mexico thistle is found in the desert areas of southern California,
Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico [6,8,14].

New Mexico thistle is found in the desert areas of southern California,
Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico [6,8,14].



Distribution of New Mexico thistle. Map courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database.
National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [2018, April 17] [17].

More info for the terms: codominant, shrub, tree

New Mexico thistle is commonly found in creosotebush (Larrea tridentata)
scrub, blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) scrub, shadscale (Atriplex
confertifolia), sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), salt desert shrub, mountain
brush, Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) woodlands, and pinyon (Pinus
spp.)-juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodlands [12,16,19]. New Mexico thistle
is not listed as a dominant or codominant in the available literature.

More info for the term: forb

Forb

New Mexico thistle is not a weedy species, unlike many other species of
thistle [5].

Many insect species feed on New Mexico thistle. It hosts three
endophagous insect species. Only the pyralid moth attacks the flowering
heads. The artichoke plume moth attacks the stems and crowns of
New Mexico thistle. Phytophagous insects associated with New Mexico thistle
have been listed [5].

More info on this topic.

New Mexico thistle usually flowers from April to May [5,12].

The currently accepted scientific name for New Mexico thistle is Cirsium
neomexicanum Gray [8,14,19]. It is a member of the sunflower family
(Asteraceae). The following varieties are recognized [19]:

Cirsium neomexicanum var. neomexicanum
Cirsium neomexicanum var. utahense (Petrak) Welsh