Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten.

Taprooted biennial. Stems branched, with soft multicellular and fine cobwebby hairs, (20)–50–150–(200) cm tall, ribbed, with broad, dentate, spiny wings between lf bases. Lvs oblanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, deeply pinnatifid (subentire to shallowly pinnatifid in seedlings), dark green above, paler beneath, (7)–10–30–(40) × 4–10–(20) cm, with short, stiff, pale, spinous bristles above and dense cobwebby tomentum beneath; lf lobes deltoid to lanceolate to linear; prickles pale, 4–10 mm long. Subfloral lvs linear, short to long, sometimes investing capitula. Capitula ovoid, waisted at flowering, erect, 2.5–6 × 2.5–5 cm, solitary or in clusters of 2–3; peduncles 0–2 cm long. Outer involucral bracts linear, with cobwebby margins; apex acuminate, with strong spine 3–4–(6) mm long, recurved to patent. Inner involucral bracts linear, becoming ciliate; apex acute, not spinous, erect. Corolla purple, 28–33 mm long; lobes 5–6 mm long. Style exserted c. 3 mm beyond corolla lobes. Achenes pale, narrowly obovoid, c. 4 × 1.5 mm; pappus 20–25 mm long; cilia on pappus bristles 5–6 mm long.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: (Oct.)–Nov.–Mar.–(May); Fruiting: Dec.–May.