Plumeless Thistle (Curled Thistle, Bristly Thistle)

Plumeless thistle, Carduus acanthoides L., is an introduced Eurasian noxious weed in pastures, rangelands, croplands, and along highways in 19 of the contiguous states in the United States (Frick, 1978). Carduus acanthoides and Carduus nutans L. in the northeastern United States often occupy the same habitats, such as overgrazed pastures and disturbed roadsides, and these species sometimes occur as mixed stands