Wheeler's Thistle
Cirsium wheeleri
Observed in the ponderosa forest of Upper East Verde watershead just below the Mogollon Rim, Gila Co., Arizona, USA. August 2010.
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Insect Fauna
Hunt's Bumblebee
FLOWERS: Pink to pale purple flowers subtended by a spiny involucre.
Visited by butterflies. Blooming from mid summer during the rainy season.
LEAVES: Leaves silvery-green due to abundant fine silky hairs on young
leaves. Elyptic to linear with sharp prickles along margins.
PERENNIAL: Usually one, but sometimes a few stems from a root system
that can survive several seasons. Most mature, flowering plants exceed
one meter in height.
RANGE: Found in montane meadows and forest edges from Utah and Colorado south into Mexico.
FRUIT: The brown seeds are topped with silky white hairs that aid in
wind dispersal.
ARMED. The leaves and flower bracts have slender, sharp prickles.
Asteraceae -- Sunflower Family
More Information:
- Southwest Environemtnal Information Network
- USDA Plant Profile
- ITIS Taxonomic Report
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search