Tall Thistle

Cirsium altissimum (L.) Hill

Aster family

Plant Type

Forb/herb

Life Cycle

Biennial

Mature Height

12.0 feet

Flower Color

Pink

Bloom Time

Early Summer, Mid Summer, Late Summer, Fall

Growing Conditions

Light

Shade Tolerance Intermediate

Ecosystem & Wildlife

Pollinators Native Bees; Bombus; Honey Bees; Beetles, Wasps, Flies; Moths; Butterflies; Monarchs; Larval Host (Moth)

Larval Host Calephelis mutica, Calephelis muticum

Native Range

USA: 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

Regional Native Status: L48 (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.