Cirsium palustre

(L.) Scop.

Marsh thistle

AsteraceaeLeavesRoots

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Pieropan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Pieropan

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) birkenfeld, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist · cc-by
(c) Tatiana Strus, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tatiana Strus

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Stalks, Roots

Leaves and young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked. The stems are also edible raw or cooked, prepared similarly to asparagus or rhubarb. Flower stalks are peeled and eaten raw or cooked.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows in damp places and marshes.

Asia, Britain, Europe, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Türkiye,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, Belarus, Switzerland, China, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Georgia, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Malta, Maldives, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A herb. It is a thistle. It takes 2 years to complete its life cycle. It grows 1.5 m tall. The stems have spiny wings. The leaves have lobes. The leaves on the stem have more distinct lobes. The leaves are dark green with purple tints. They are hairy but shiny. The leaves at the base have stalks and spines.

How to Grow

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

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

The seed fluff is used as tinder. The seed, as with all thistle species, yields a good oil by expression. No details of potential yields are given. Attracts wildlife.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Cirsium palustre, the marsh thistle or European swamp thistle, is a herbaceous biennial (or often perennial) flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.

Notes

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

Names & Synonyms

Močvirski osat, Myrtistel

Cnicus palustris L.

References (8)

Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 37
Fl. carniol. ed. 2, 2:128. 1772
Girard, N. J., 2020, Sustainable Foraging of Wild Edible Plants in Norway. A Biocultural Approach. M. Sc. thesis Norwegian University. p 128
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 205 (As Cnicus palustre)
Irving, M., 2009, The Forager Handbook, A Guide to the Edible Plants of Britain. Ebury Press p 148
Low, T., 1991, Wild Herbs of Australia and New Zealand. Angus & Robertson. p 34
Mabey, R., 1973, Food for Free. A Guide to the edible wild plants of Britain, Collins. p 114
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/