Thistle

30th November 2023 (St Andrew’s Day)

Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) at Windy Hollow Organics, Perthshire

The even mead that erst brought sweetly forth

The freckled cowslip, burnet, and green clover,

Wanting the scythe, withal uncorrected, rank,

Conceives by idleness, and nothing teems

But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burrs,

Losing both beauty and utility.

BURGUNDY: Henry V, Act 5, Scene 2

THISTLES

Shakespeare has a mixed relationship with Thistles. In Henry V it is a pernicious weed destroying productive farmland. In a Midsummer Night’s Dream it is food for bees and in Much Ado About Nothing, the medicinal Holy Thistle or Carduus benedictus acts as a useful play of words for one of the main protagonists, Benedick.

There are several different species in the UK which are called Thistles. The genus Cirsium holds many of the most common UK Thistles: Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre) or Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense). Thistles provide food and habitat for pollinators but they can take over a habitat and suppress other forms of biodiversity. Some Thistle species are become rarer including Melancholy Thistle (Cirsium heterophyllum) which is NT (Near Threatened) in England, EN (Endangered) in Wales and CR (Critically Endangered) in Ireland. There are other genera, Sonchus and Cicerbita, which are also called Sow Thistles, several of which are rare or threatened. Alpine Blue Sow Thistle is an extremely rare alpine plant found only in 4 locations.

The exact identity of the thistle which acts as the national symbol of Scotland has never been definitely agreed, although the native Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) and the introduced Cotton Thistle (Onorpodum acanthium) are often cited.

More Information

BSBI Plant Atlas 2020: Visit Site

National Trust for Scotland: The Thistle - Scotland’s National Flower

Plantlife Meadows: Managing Thistles

Plantlife Scotland: Visit Site

Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh: Conservation Genetics Alpine Blue Sow Thistle