New Mexico Thistle
Cirsium neomexicanum
Photographed along Mesquite Wash, Maricopa Co., Arizona. May 17, 2008.
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PERENNIAL : Robust herbaceous plant regrowing for two or more years from
tap root. Plants two meters tall are not
uncommon. Usually just one main stem with several inflorescences branching from
summit.
ARMED. The leaves are stiff and are set with long, sharp, spine-tipped
marginal teeth.
LEAVES: Leaves are sharply pinately divided and with most of the largest
leaves - 50 cm plus in
length - right at ground level. The leaves are hairy especially beneath and
around the stem attachment.
RANGE: Frequent throughout the Sonoran Desert mostly at middle to upper
elevations (above 800 m). Rocky slopes and high on wash banks; mesquite
bosques and roadsides. Ranges from the Mojave Desert in California to parts of
the Chihuahuan Desert in Texas and northern Mexico.
FRUIT: The seeds are topped with long, silky bristles making the flower
heads attractive even in seed.
FLOWERS: Hundreds of narrow florets comprise the composite head
generating a cushion of gentle pink or lavender; occasionally almost white. The
phyllaries are also armed with spines and there is a lot of webby pubescence.
Blooms mid spring in the Sonoran Desert, March to May.
The flower heads are a favorite for many nectar-feeding beetles and butterflies. Leaves may be found sewn together into tent-like structures with a caterpillar inside. These belong to the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).