About Cirsium kamtschaticum Ledeb. ex DC.
Cirsium kamtschaticum, commonly known as the Kamchatka thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the tribe Cardueae, part of the Asteraceae family. It is native to areas of Alaska and East Asia. Its confirmed distribution includes eastern Russia (specifically the Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin Island, and the Kuril Islands), plus several North Pacific islands: the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and Hokkaido Island in northern Japan. This species is a biennial or perennial herb that can reach up to 200 cm (80 inches) in height, and it grows from a thick underground rhizome. Its leaves can grow up to 40 cm (16 inches) long, and have thin, bristly spines along their edges. The plant produces a small number of flower heads; each head contains only pink or purple disc florets, with no ray florets. It typically grows in meadow and tundra habitats.
